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Chapter Text

The first time you had met Ghost and Price had been an unfortunate one. It was late, too late for you to be walking back from the office to your apartment. You walked quickly, keeping a wary eye out for any strangers that were likely to bother a lone woman late at night. You wished it was always safe to walk at night. You loved night walks, especially since you never slept. They always were refreshing, helping to ease your mind from the troubles of the day.

You quickly walked down Pennsylvania Avenue, briefly glancing at the White House and surrounding gardens. You had a bit of a walk until you were in your neighborhood of Foggy Bottom. You could’ve taken the Metro, but you wanted some time to clear your head.

As you were walking towards a dark alleyway, something caught your eye in the pitch black. It was a flicker of some sort. You slowed your walk to further observe before you crossed the alleyway. Just to be safe, you crossed the road before the alleyway. You picked up the pace, swearing you saw an outline of a skull in the alleyway when you chanced a glance while walking past it across the street…but there was no way you just saw a hovering skull in an alleyway. Nope, you must just be super burned out from today or something, right?

You glanced behind you just because you felt like someone was watching you, but you saw nothing. Just an empty downtown road. You continued to briskly walk, but again slowed when you swear you saw the top of someone’s head bob behind a brownstone house’s staircase just up ahead.

Again, you crossed the street before you passed the staircase. As you walked by, you peered on the other side of the staircase. To your surprise, there was a huge hulking man with a skull mask suiting up in tactical gear staring at you as you walked by.

In a split second you started running, sprinting. There was no way in hell you weren’t going to. To hell with him being offended. When the fuck were you going to see a huge dude with a skull mask and not think to run? What the fuck was going on?

“Fuck, she’s running. Gaz, get ready.”

You felt adrenaline rushing through your veins when you heard him talk into a walkie talkie. He was not working alone, there must’ve been a group of them with shared coms. Fuck, who were these people and what did they want with you?? And he heaved a heavy husky Manchester accent, which was weird. Had you pissed off some Brits? Your current and previous jobs have often involved copious amounts of sensitive data for rich clients, so there was no telling who might be after you.

You ran as fast as you could, but you had to come up with a strategy. They were ambushing you on your walk home. Home . They expected you to go towards your apartment. You had to go the opposite way, to lose the rest of them, how many others there were, waiting for you to walk towards your apartment. So, you took a left instead of keeping straight. And then another left and another. Now you were basically headed in the opposite direction of your apartment. It had worked temporarily. You heard the skull dude curse and informed the others that you had turned around. You had only lost him for a bit, but then you saw another man come into view in the middle of the alleyway you were running down. He had a black balaclava so you couldn’t see any of his features, but he was decked out in tactical gear. Fuck, were you in trouble with some foreign government?

You turned down another alleyway, but there was another balaclava tactical gear guy waiting for you. The guy from the first alleyway grabbed you from behind, but you turned and kneed him in the crouch, electing a harsh groan from him. As he stumbled back, the other guy approached you slowly.

“We don’t wanna hurt ya.” A cute Scottish accent. He walked towards you with his hands up, but you knew that he was still dangerous. Once he was in range, you emptied your pepper spray in his direction and ran. He yelled and shielded his eyes, “Steaming Jesus, she has mace and is not afraid to use it!”

You ran up the fire escape of a building that was near where you worked, and started to race along that. You knew that this would lead to another that you’d be able to jump to. You knew your way around the neighborhood pretty well since you had formed a security plan for the firm you were working for. It was just a training exercise for new recruits to the small geospatial data analytics startup you had recently joined.

You started to feel hopeful as you made your way from the next fire escape to another alley and traveled through that. You sprinted towards the Metro station, knowing that you’d be able to make it very far away if you made it on a train without any of the guys chasing you on the train. You were almost to the staircase that led to the underground station. Almost there, but then you weren’t. Suddenly, you were on the pavement with the skull guy on top of you. He grunted with the impact of the fall. Your ribs were riddled with sharp pain and your cheek had hit the ground hard as you fell face first with the skull guy tackled you. You yelped in pain and tears pricked the corners of your eyes. You could feel the warm slick of blood starting to drip from your nose to your mouth. You spit blood out as your kidnapper man-handled you.

“I got her.”

He gripped you around your waist and hoisted you up to his chest with you facing away from him. You weren’t giving up yet though. You let your head fall to your chest, and then you suddenly slammed the back of your head into his face with as much force as you could muster. He cursed again and let you go. The back of your head hurt like a motherfucker, sharp hot pain shot from the back of your head down your neck, but you had to keep going, you might not have another chance.

You fell to your knees, but quickly got back up. You could still get to the Metro. You started to run again. You were even closer this time. But, suddenly you were on the ground again with a new guy on top of you. You cried out in pain from the impact, cutting your cheek and definitely breaking some ribs in the process.

“Come on, I gotcha this time. Gaz and Soap, how copy? Get back here now. We have to move.”

“Be careful Price, she can head butt. Pretty sure she broke my nose.”

Both the men hoisted you up and dragged you towards a black SUV that had suddenly shown up. You started to cry and beg. “Please, let me go!” “Please sir, just let me go, you’re hurting me!” “I didn’t do anything wrong, please let me go!” But, no matter what you said, they ignored you and just continued to drag you towards the vehicle.

Your heart started to race even more when you realized there was no way you were getting out of this. Was this human trafficking? Had you pissed off a mob boss or the cartel? What was going on?

You started to scream and wail. Someone had to hear you. You kicked, thrashed and flailed your body with all your might. That just made them drag you to the SUV faster. The noises of sheer terror coming from you were unrecognizable to yourself. You were purely running on adrenaline, your fight or flight instincts on full display.

As they dragged you closer to the SUV, you tried to kick out your feet to brace yourself against the car door, preventing them from pushing you in. But the two other men showed up and moved your legs out of the way.

You continued to spit out blood and scream, someone had to hear you. Someone would come to your rescue.

They zip tied your hands behind your back and covered your head with a black cloth bag so you couldn’t see anything. You were having a panic attack, crying, screaming, sobbing, twisting, and turning, trying anything to get out of their clutches. But, nothing worked. They had full control over you, and there was nothing that you could do.

You were pushed into the back door of the car and seated against one of the men. You could hear the others get into the car over your heavy heaving and crying. You started to shake and shiver with a wild mixture of fear, chilliness and pure adrenaline.

You continued to twist and move around, but a huge hand suddenly gripped your bicep from behind. “Stop moving, you’re not going anywhere.” He squeezed tightly, painfully, definitely resulting in a bruise. You instantly complied.

You were sitting in front of the skull mask Manchester dude. Between his legs. He was right, you weren’t going anywhere. You sat as rigid as you could despite your shivering. You could feel the warmth of his thighs surrounding you and seeping in. It was the only comfort you had while they transported you to an unknown location.

The rest of the guys, Soap, Price and Gaz were silent as you cried to yourself. You had given up, but at least you had given it your all. You had not known you could run like that. You had been so close to getting to the Metro!

You gradually stopped crying, and the guys slowly started to talk to each other.

“Ghost, your nose okay?” You think Price was sitting in front of you in the passenger's seat.

“Definitely broken, but I’ll be fine. Laswell couldn’t have gotten a bigger vehicle for this mission?”

Skull guy was called Ghost. Quite fitting.

“Gaz wasn’t supposed to come, but he was bored.”

“I regret coming. She kneed the living hell out of my balls.” That made them all laugh. Gaz was driving.

“At least you didn’t get pepper sprayed at point blank distance! It was dark so I had my eyes open like a fool!” Soap was sitting next to you and Ghost.

You could feel Ghost chuckle, the rumble of his broad chest rubbing your back. You shifted a bit since your shoulders were aching from the weird angle they had bound your arms, but your hands accidentally rubbed his crotch since they had zip tied them behind you. Ghost took in a sharp breath.

“Careful, girl. I told you to stop moving. We aren’t too far from Langley.” He murmured right next to your ear. You flinched and then cowered away in response, and did your best to stay still. If it was any other circumstance, you’d say you were attracted to Ghost’s voice, but right now you were mortified. They were bringing you to Langley, so that likely meant the US government was behind this. You tried to close your eyes and get lost in the motion of the car. You need to fortify your mind for the future. Were they going to torture you?

—————  ҉  —————

Ghost hoisted you over his shoulder and walked with you, presumably into the CIA headquarters, but you still couldn’t see anything. As he balanced you over his shoulder, the blood rushed to your head. A small trickle of blood oozed out of your battered nose.  What was going to happen? How had you gotten in trouble with the CIA? 

He harshly set you down in a metal chair, re-zip tied your wrists to the arms of the chair, zip tied your legs to the legs of the chair, and pulled off the black cloth bag. You were met with bright fluorescent lights. You squinted your eyes as they slowly adjusted to the intrusive lights. Finally when you were able to fully open your eyes, you realized Ghost was just staring at you as you struggled to take in your surroundings. Eyes surrounded by black paint and the skull mask. He rose to his full height, causing you to crane your neck up to look at him. “Please…please sir let me go.” He turned and left.

You noticed your glasses were cracked and scratched as you were looking around the room. You were in a classic two way mirror interrogation room. You wondered how long you would have to wait to be questioned. What were they going to ask you about?

You caught a glimpse of yourself. You looked like absolute shit. Your hair was a mess, your eyes puffy from crying, your face was bruised in several places. The blood from your nose had mostly dried around your mouth and chin.

Hours passed. You fell in and out of uncomfortable sleep. Your neck was stiff from hanging off to the side when you passed out from exhaustion. Your arms and legs were numb from misuse and everything that you could feel hurt and ached. You felt exhausted. But, something had woken you. Perhaps it was a door being shut outside of the room.

The door to the room opened and in walked a woman sifting through a file folder and shoving an ear piece into her ear. You instantly felt nervous, your anxiety growing within you to the brink. You felt like you were going to explode from exhaustion and this anxious energy that had suddenly bubbled up out of nowhere. Were you about to die? No, they would probably torture you first and then kill you. Or, worse torture you and keep you alive if you proved useful. You decided to try to keep shut for as long as you could, then they would just kill you faster. She looked up at you and looked instantly puzzled.

“Why are you…” She looked around in even more confusion. She heaved a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose.“ Fuck…They put you in a fucking integration room.”

She had to be bluffing. No way this was all a mistake.

She slowly approached you, as if you were a hurt baby animal. “Are you okay?” She sounded concerned, genuinely concerned. But, this is what the CIA did, right? Good cop, bad cop shit? You braced against the zip ties as she almost reached you, leaning as far away from her as possible. Your anxiety was boiling over.

“You look pretty beat up…”

You leaned over away from her and threw up. You were so nervous, you had just thrown up. That had never happened before. You were shocked to say the least. You looked down at it and started dry heaving. Your nose started bleeding again. Tears started to fall as you spit the remains of your vomit out of your mouth and onto the floor along with the occasional blood splatter. You started to shake uncontrollably and cry. You could hear the lady talking into her ear piece as you continued to weep.

“Price, what the fuck did you do to her? Just come in here now and get her out of these fucking zip ties.”

All of a sudden, the integration room was filled with the rest of the men who had kidnapped you. Price was the first to come in and immediately started to argue with the woman, who you think is called Laswell. At least, that is what Price was calling her.

“Listen, Laswell, my only instructions were to bring her in, so that is what I did. I assumed she was a threat, because that is what my team typically deals with.” Price seemed calm, while Laswell was livid.

“What do you mean my only instructions were to ‘bring her in’?! I gave you explicit instructions to approach her in a public area during daylight hours and-“

You didn’t get the rest of the conversation because one of the guys was walking towards you with a knife. Your anxiety spiked again. Was he about to kill you on the spot? You futilely pulled against your restraints, stretching and breaking the skin on your wrists. Muttered to him to leave you alone, to not touch you. You started to cry harder when he finally reached you.

“It’s okay. I’m cutting you loose now.” He cut the zip ties, and you tried to get up immediately, but you fell to your knees since your limbs were numb from sitting for so long.

The guy with the mohawk rushed forward to help you, but Ghost shot out his hand to hold him back. You could hear him mutter, “Give her a second to cool down. She’s scared.”

You scurried to the corner and faced the wall and just waited. Laswell and Price were still going at it. Sounded like there was some sort of miscommunication and misunderstanding about how they were supposed to approach you and bring you in. But you didn’t care, the damage was done. You held your thighs to your chest and rested your head on your knees and closed your eyes. Silent tears streamed down your face, snot leaked from your nose and you breathed heavily through your mouth, trying to calm down. You just wanted all of this to be over, to go to your apartment and lay in your bed. It must be early in the morning by now.

There was a light touch to your shoulder. You flinched away. Laswell and Price were no longer arguing. You felt everyone’s eyes on you now. You picked your head up and peered at them over your shoulder. Laswell crouched next to you.

“Here, let me help you up. Let’s get you checked out.”

You jerked your arm away from her clasp. You were tried of people touching you. “I can get up myself.”

You slowly got up, but you were wobbly from exhaustion and excessive cramping. You fell slightly forward, and Laswell caught you around your midsection. You let out a yelp in pain as she made contact with your cracked ribs.

“Sorry, are your ribs hurt?”

“Yeah, definitely broken.” You muttered, you made your way to the door holding your arm to your broken ribs as Laswell gaped at you.

“Broken?” She looked accusingly at Price. “We uh, we had to tackle her…twice.” He was hesitant and placed the answer at Laswell’s feet, looking for mercy. She gave none.

“You tackled her twice?!”

“Well, I didn’t tackle her both times. I tackled her once and Ghost tackled her too.”

“GHOST TACKLED HER?!”

You shuffled as quickly as you could away from Price and Laswell as another argument ensued. You finally made it to the interrogation room door, where the rest of the boys stood, glancing between you and the Laswell Price argument.

“Which way to the infirmary?”

The others looked at you with bewilderment, but Ghost muttered, “Out the door and to the left.”

You gave him a little salute and walked out. You could hear Laswell and Price yelling at each other even out in the hallway.

—————  ҉  —————

“We need to talk now.” Laswell intercepted you right as you exited the doctor’s office. They had patched up your face and wrists, and given you painkillers to take as your cracked ribs healed on their own. She ushered you into a conference room where the others were sitting around an oval table, waiting on you two.

You sat next to Laswell, and she took a big breath.

“I am so sorry about how you were treated. I take full responsibility for your physical injuries and any trauma that you have experienced. My instructions were lost when they were transferred to Price, and he was only told to ‘bring you in’. I am sorry, it’ll never happen again.”

All you could do was nod and stare at the table. You had no words for her just yet.

“Before we go any further, is there anyone that would be worried you’re missing? If so, we can send a message to them from your phone for you.”

“I should probably message my boss.”

“We already have that covered. They understand that you are on a special assignment with the US government. You won’t have to use any sick days or vacation days. Is there anyone else? Your boyfriend perhaps?”

“Really, you don’t know what happened?” You would have thought the CIA would have all your information on you, even from a few days ago. Maybe she was bluffing again.

“Um no, it looks like you’ll have to fill me in now.”

“It’s private.”

“We will find out eventually.”

“It’s a long story.”

“We have time.”

You glared at her. You really did not want to do this in front of everyone, but she left you no choice.

“Okay, I’ll keep it short. On Monday, my loving boyfriend gave me this.” You tugged down your turtle neck shirt, exposing the massive bruise encompassing your entire neck. He had choked the shit out of you during an argument. You had never imagined that you would be a victim of domestic abuse, but here you were, exposed and raw, surviving as best you could.

“I took off of work on Tuesday to move out, break the lease, and find a new apartment. Thankfully, the local domestic abuse nonprofit helped me find an apartment that very day. Expensive as fuck to break a lease and find an apartment on short notice, but thankfully my job pays well.” You blankly stared at the table the entire time, unable to make eye contact with Laswell. Was it weird that you felt numb?

“And that’s why you were out so late, when Price and the team brought you in? You were making up for missed work?”

“Well…yeah, but I also took off because I could barely talk and I had a difficult time breathing because of the injury. Yeah, it has been a real shit week so far.” You whispered, barely able to talk much more about the incident. You hadn’t really talked to anyone about it. The people at the nonprofit were nice. They didn’t ask questions, but they did offer counseling at the end of the call. You might take their offer up at a later date. You needed to be on your own with your feelings first.

Off to your peripheries, you saw someone shift, so you glanced at the men. Gaz shifted awkwardly in his seat, Soap had his eyes closed with his hand rubbing his temple, Ghost had his clenched fists on the table, and Price was staring at you with an unknown emotion on his face. It seemed like your domestic abuse injury didn’t sit well with them.

Laswell coughed, getting your attention. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

You shrugged, “More common than you think. I’m just glad I could get out easily.”

“If there’s anything that I can do-“

“Nope. Can we move on now?” You just wanted to keep all of this to yourself. You didn’t want the CIA or your kidnappers in any more of your business.

“Yes, of course.” Laswell scribbled a note to herself. “Now, if it is okay with you, we can dive into why we brought you here. We need your help with a mission. Nuclear warheads might fall into the wrong hands and we need your expertise to prevent this.” She placed the file folder in front of you.

You looked at it, and then you looked at her. Maintaining eye contact, you used your entire arm to sweep the file folder off the conference table, sending it and its contents flying. Your anger spiked out of nowhere, probably due to being exhausted and your fried nerves, but you passionately despised the CIA. 

You stood up, and leaned towards her, pushing an accusatory finger in her direction. “And what makes you think I will help you, the CIA, who probably brought this upon themselves? You can barely communicate and transfer your instructions to your team to do your dirty work, to fetch me. Why  would I even consider helping you?”

Laswell said your name firmly. “I know you are frustrated and aren’t the biggest fan of the CIA, but we need your help. Only you can help us-“

“I doubt that. You have been able to find replacements every time I turn down any of your offers. You really think bringing me against my own will would turn me, intimidate me into working for the CIA?”

Laswell sighed, “You know all of this was a mistake. My mistake, I take-“

“Yeah, I understand your lullaby, but I don’t buy it. This is a power play. You are trying to intimidate me. You know where I work and live. You know my daily routines. And so you send a death squad to ambush me. Yeah, I don’t trust you, Laswell. Even if your lullaby was true, there is no way that I am the only person who can help you. There are plenty of others who would help you with little resistance. My answer is no. My answer will always be no.”

Laswell crumbed, “Please, you have to help us. You helped develop the code during your days of military contract work. You’re the only one that knows how it works.”

“What code?” You had jumped around jobs a lot lately since you weren’t satisfied with your work. You had started in contracting since it paid well, but you weren’t happy and you had felt like you were making the world a worse place by helping and feeding the military industrial complex, the US military and spy agency, so you had quit, and moved on to other work.

“The code that you developed to hijack an incoming nuclear missile and control its trajectory. It has gotten into the wrong hands.”

You were silent. You had worked on that code years ago. It was still part of the contractor’s intellectual property though, right?

As if reading your mind, Laswell continued, “The contractor you used to work for sold it to the US government for a high price. During a recent data breach, it was sold on the black market for an even higher price to another nation. One of the United States biggest enemies.”

You narrowed your eyes, “But I made sure that I explained the code, I made a very comprehensive report so others could edit the code in the future.”

Laswell sighed, “All of it was wiped from our databases, and the firm you used to work for does not have the original copy.”

You sighed and ran your hand gingerly over your face. “The United States has many enemies… Fine, I’m in. But you first have to admit that the CIA brought this on themselves.”

“Yes, the CIA is at fault. Are you happy? Can we move on?”

“I’ll never be happy, but yes we can move on. It is nice to hear the CIA fess up to one of their many failures during their short history.”

“Petty little thing.” Ghost muttered across from you, causing the rest of the boys to chuckle. You had forgotten they were in the room with you. You quickly looked around, suddenly embarrassed by the attention. You instinctively sunk into your chair, trying your best to cower away from the rest of the team.

Thankfully, Laswell quickly changed the subject to the mission. You listened the best you could, despite being physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted.

As you listened, you realized the op sounded like an insane mission. Parachute into the site, take out guards, infiltrate their base, disable the software, re-download the software, and escape to a nearby safe house using a hijacked vehicle. How were you going to keep up?

Laswell finally turned to you, “You will be attached to Lieutenant Ghost when you parachute. Once you are on the ground, you are assigned to Captain Price and Lieutenant Ghost. They are responsible for your safety. You will be under their command and you must follow all of their orders to ensure your safety.” You quickly glanced at them both. Captain Price gave you a tight smile that did not reach his eyes while Ghost just glared at you with his arms crossed and head slightly tilted down. Great, Captain Price probably secretly hates you because he has to babysit you and Lieutenant Ghost definitely hates you.

“We will not tolerate any disobeying of orders or banter, do you understand?” Ghost belted out. You shifted in your seat, uncomfortable with the unwanted attention.

“That’s not a rhetorical question. I expect an answer.” 

You couldn’t make eye contact, you just couldn’t, but you whispered, “Yes sir.” You hoped that this was not going to be a reoccurring trend with Ghost being particularly strict with you.

Laswell finally dismissed everyone after going over a few more details. As the rest of the team left the room, you gingerly maneuvered yourself out of the chair.

“Let me show you to your room and the mess hall.” Laswell guided you down the hallway as you slowly walked next to her.

“How am I going to keep up with everyone? They are going to leave me behind…” You couldn’t believe you were looking to Laswell for support, but you were low on options and the rest of the team didn’t seem too keen to help.

Laswell said your name, causing you to look over at her. “You are the key to this mission. They cannot achieve anything without you there doing your part. This team is adaptable and reliable, so they will make this work. They always find a way.”

You heaved a sigh as best you could with the current state of your rib cage. “Your room is in that corner.” She pointed to the door and then pointed to the right. “The mess hall is that way. We have a day here before the mission. Try to get as much rest as you can.” You bleakly nodded to her and headed toward your room.

As you came closer to the door, you could clearly hear Ghost and Price talking just around the corner.

“I don’t like babysitting kids, that’s all I’m saying, Price. She’s going to be dead weight, baggage. The whole team will have to move slower to accommodate her. Putting everyone at risk.”

“Just think of her as carry on baggage, yeah? Plus, it’ll just be for one mission. We just have to get through this one mission. We can do tha, can’t we?”

“Yeah, thank God it’s only one mission. I don’t think I could handle another.”

Your head fell and your heart ached from hearing their chat. You can’t be that bad, can you? Their voices faded away as they walked toward the mess hall to get breakfast. You followed them after a bit. You went through the mediocre breakfast buffet lost in thought. You had to try your best to not be dead weight in this mission, and you had to assume that it would not go as planned. You suspected that the team operated like a well oiled machine since they were special forces, the best of the best, but you really threw a wrench in things, definitely not something that they were used to.

You didn’t even bother to see where the rest of the team was sitting. They wouldn’t want you to sit with them anyways. Since you were dead weight, a nuisance, something to worry about, to be taken care of. That’s okay though. You were used to being an outcast, you always had been different from your siblings and other children you had grown up with. Even in college and afterwards, you had a difficult time making new friends, so you just stuck to yourself. And that’s how you had lived most of your life. You had a few relationships here and there, but they always fell through. You figured there was something wrong with you since you were the common denominator in all of those forgotten relationships.

You kept your eyes down and sat at a table alone and slowly ate. You looked through the files that Laswell gave you. You memorized the map and locations of everything. You had to contribute to this mission somehow. There were more files that Laswell had left in the conference room where anyone from the team could go and review even more. That’s where you headed next.

Before you could get up from the table to clear your tray, Soap and Gaz sat down in front of you, both smiling at you.

“We wanted to properly introduce ourselves since you’re in the team now.” They each extended their hands to shake yours.

“Don’t know if you can consider me ‘in the team’. I’ll just be dead weight you’ll have to drag around.” You looked away from them, feeling distraught from what Ghost had said.

“No way in hell we can do anything related to software. We just know how to kill, nothing else.” Gaz tried his best to reassure you.

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“Just ignore L.T. He is always wary of outsiders. He’s actually a big softie.” Soap toothy grinned at you, making you giggle.

“Okay, well I’m going to head to the conference room to review the mission documents some more.”

As you got up, Gaz came around and put a hand on your shoulder. “Sorry for bringing you in so rough. I hope your wounds heal soon.” He truly looked ashamed and guilty. You were shocked by his sudden shift in emotion.

“Also, sorry that some men are so violent against women. You deserve better than that cunt who hurt you.” Soap scoured as he thought of your ex hurting you.

“No worries, boys. I’ll be okay.” You gave them both a smile before leaving for the conference room. You didn’t catch Price’s watchful graze, keeping track of your whereabouts at all times.

You settled back into a chair in the conference room as you looked at all of the files spread out on the table. You also clicked through Laswell’s presentation which was projected onto a screen at the front of the room. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see someone opening up the door to the room.

“Thought I’d find ya in here. Laswell said you’re very studious and thorough. Said she didn’t want anyone else for the mission.” Price was trying to be nice, trying to compliment you, but you knew what the truth was.

“Yeah, just trying my best not to be dead weight. I know babysitting is annoying.” You didn’t even glance at him, but from the awkward cough and shuffling around on his feet, you’d be willing to bet that Price realized that you had heard what Ghost had said about you.

“Listen, I just wanted to apologize for how we brought you in. Wasn’t right.” 

“That’s all water under the bridge, Captain. No need to worry about it.”

—————  ҉  —————

You put pressure on your arm where a bullet had grazed you as you ran behind Ghost into a vehicle that Gaz had hijacked. A grenade went off close behind the car as it sped away from the compound. Bullets whizzed past the car as Gaz swerved, trying to evade the onslaught of gun fire.

“Get done!” Ghost yelled in your face and pushed you on to the car floor to take cover as he returned fire.

“Price, Soap, How copy?” 

“We are fine. Meet you at the safe house.”

Eventually, the gunfire and explosions died down as Gaz continued to drive, but you stayed on the car floor, just sitting with your legs pulled to your chest staring off into space. The mission had gone to shit. You had successfully disabled the software and re-downloaded it, which was the mission goal, but everything else had gone wrong.

There were more guards than expected. Soap and Price had gotten pinned down and separated from the rest of the group. Gaz had to get a vehicle on his own, while Ghost covered you while you worked. Your part had taken longer than you thought it would, so Ghost had to improvise to buy you more time. You, in turn, got injured from enemy fire. And to top it all off, Ghost had been up your ass the entire time. From the parachute jump, to moving in and around the compound and software download, Ghost kept on telling you to keep up, move faster, follow his lead, to hurry up and just to always keep moving. You did the best you could, but it never seemed to be enough for him. You had actually given him some nice pointers when it came to finding new routes into and out of the compound, but he barely acknowledged that. Maybe that was the bare minimum he expected?

He did not seem very considerate or thoughtful that this was the first combat mission you had ever done. That you were a civilian that had been thrust into this situation. You were shell shocked to say the least. Your ears were ringing, your arm was bleeding and your hands were shaking. Honestly, you were surprised you weren’t crying. That would probably come later. You guessed that you shouldn’t expect him to care. That was not a part of his job after all. His job was to keep you alive, which he had done.

Gaz finally stopped the car, but you stayed put, waiting for Ghost’s command since he had been giving you orders this entire operation.

“Bloody hell, don’t tell me I have to carry you. Get out of the car now.” Ghost sighed as he held the car door open for you as you got out. You wobbled a bit, but Gaz helped steady you. You gave him a quick grateful smile.

“Let’s get you inside and patch you up.” Gaz sat you down at the kitchen table as he unpacked his med kit. Ghost started to pace in the kitchen. Gaz worked quietly and you kept your eyes on the kitchen floor, not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention from Ghost. You could tell he was wound tight. Even though the mission had been completed you guessed it was too messy for him. And he most likely blamed it all on you. Dead weight. Babysitting.

Right as Gaz finished with your arm, Soap and Price came in. Everyone was sitting at the kitchen table taking inventory of weapons, ammo and injuries, everyone except for Ghost. You could sense that he was somewhere behind you, brooding. But, you knew better than to look. You kept your eyes down, and did not say a word. So far, you had evaded all attention, but Price unfortunately broke that.

Price said your name. “You got the software?” You nodded.

“Are you okay?” You nodded again. You could tell he wasn’t convinced since he got up and walked around the table to squat in front of you at eye level.

“Are you okay, love?”  He murmured close to your ear, but you kept your eyes to the ground still, unable to muster up the strength to look at him, ignoring the new pet name that you cherished so much, especially coming from him. He tilted his head down as he talked to you, trying in vain to catch your eye.

You nodded again in response, but he clicked his tongue in disapproval. “Use your words, love. And eyes on me.” He used his index finger underneath your chin to lift your gaze. His beautiful blue eyes considered you with a caring gaze, one that you did not expect.

Finally, you took a deep breath in. “I’m fine.” You pulled his hand away from your face.

“You’re shaking.” He furrowed his brows together as if he couldn’t understand why you were shaken. You had parachuted for the first time. You had seen your first person shot to death, had to walk right next to the body, as if nothing had happened. You had been shot in the arm for the first time. You had felt a grenade shade the earth for the first time in your life. Of course your hands were shaking. Why wouldn’t they be?

“I- I’m okay. A lot happened today. A lot of firsts for me.” He nodded as if he understood. As if he could understand. Perhaps he was thinking back to his first mission, and the shock of it all. At least he had wanted to be there. You didn’t want to be here. You did not want any of this to happen.

“Did Ghost take good care of you, love? Sorry I wasn’t there.” You hadn’t realized he was holding your shaking hands, rubbing tight circles into him. He was leaning his head down again, trying to catch your eye. You looked up, giving him what he wanted. He offered you a smile, one that actually met his eyes. He was wearing an emotion you had only seen on him once before, when he had apologized to you the day before.

Guilt. He felt guilty about everything that he had put you through. All the missteps, all the unintentional trauma that was inflicted on you were all connected back to him. The guilt gnawed at him. Your innocence of the civilian world had been robbed from you. He felt responsible for you, but he seemed to have continuously failed you. Then, on top of all that, you still had to deal with your shit ex; it was just so much. He felt all of this, but all he could do was rub your hands and try to comfort you.

“Yes, he took care of me.” You did not speak of how he treated you. How he took every chance he could get to tell you to try harder, to berate you, reminding you that you’d never be enough for him.

“She did not make it easy on me. Took her time with the software too.”

You immediately looked back down at the floor upon hearing Ghost. Price watched you as Ghost continued.

“She got all tangled in the parachute when we landed. Moved like a snail off the drop zone. Lagged behind me when moving through the compound, at one point got separated from me because she had to stop for a break. I had to distract the enemy when she took too long with the software, and then she got grazed by a bullet when leaving. She-”

You tried with all your might to hold in the tears. You had done so good at fighting the tears for the entire day. You could sustain a little further, right? But you felt your resolve slipping with every reminder from Ghost of how you messed up the operation, how it would have been so much easier without you. Every insult, nip, jab and poke from him. Isolated, nothing he said would have made you upset, but everything together made it overwhelming, so overwhelming that you felt the first tear fall down your cheek.

Price had stopped rubbing circles into your hands when he thought he saw a tear racing down your cheek. He quickly wiped the tear away with his thumb and got up and moved towards Ghost when he saw more falling down. You had experienced enough today, he thought.

“Alright, Ghost, you made your point. Stop your ranting.”

“No, I don’t think so, Price. Laswell should know how much of a liability she is-”

You heaved a sob. You couldn’t control yourself anymore, though you wished you had been quieter. You hadn’t meant to, but it alerted everyone that you were weeping. Soap came by your side, trying his best to comfort you.

“It’s alright, las. Mission is over, now you can rest.”

You looked up at him and gave him a nod. You found Ghost and Price staring at you.

“Soap, take her to the bedroom so she can rest in peace.” Price turned back to Ghost and glared at him.

—————  ҉  —————

You laid on the bed, falling in and out of sleep, as best you could. It was so cold that you were shivering, making it difficult to get any rest. Plus all the crying had really done a number on your sinuses. You slowly woke up when you heard footsteps outside. To your dismay, Price and Ghost walked in.

“Love, we have to share a bed. Gaz is on first watch. Ghost and I will keep you warm.”

You rubbed your eyes wearily as Ghost and Price eyed your curled up form on the bed. You scooted to the middle of the bed to make room for them both. Thankfully, Price laid down on the side you were facing and Ghost laid down behind you. You tried your best to forget about Ghost, focusing fully on Price.

“Ya shivering love, c’mere.” Price pulled you into his arms and you squeaked out in surprise. You slowly relaxed into his embrace and rested your head underneath his chin on his chest. He felt so warm and cozy with his heady masculine scent putting you at ease. “Be a good girl and try to get some rest, love.” He muttered as he stroked your hair. Too exhausted to process his words, you fell asleep to his steady heartbeat. 

You woke up to Gaz waking the captain to take up the next watch. You groaned in protest when he started to move.

“Don’t worry love, Ghost is here to keep you warm as well. Be good and stay with Ghost.” You wanted to protest further, but you were too exhausted. As Price left the bedroom, you settled back into bed with Ghost still laying behind you. You started to shiver from the absence of Price. You tried your best to subtly scoop back, closer to Ghost. You didn’t want to wake him, but you were just so cold.

You scooped back so much that your butt came into contact with his crotch. He let out a rumbled surprised sound. “Er making touching my crotch quite a habit aren’t you? You cold, duchess?” You whimpered in response, barely able to control your reaction. His gruff sleepy voice made something stir in you. You hated to admit it, but you did find him attractive, despite everything he put you through.

He slung his arm over you and pulled you into his chest, effectively spooning you. He draped his leg over your hip too, encasing you. You instantly felt his warmth seeping through you. “S’alright?”

“Yes, Ghost. Thank you.”

—————  ҉  —————

Back at base, you finished up filling out paperwork and reports for Laswell of how the mission went. The software was back in safe hands and everyone came back in one piece.

“All set?”

“Yep” you said as you handed the thick stack of paperwork back to Laswell.

“Thank you for your help, and sorry again about the rough start. Next time it’ll be better.”

“Next time?” You cocked your eyebrow at Laswell.

“We might need your help again. I don’t think you realize how rare your skill set is.”

“Please, stop with the compliments.” You rolled your eyes and laughed. Laswell wasn’t too bad, for a government agent.

“Seriously, if you need anything just give us a call.” She threw a plastic flip phone your way. You caught it and checked the contacts. Just one.

“Really? I feel like this is part of a Jason Bourne or James Bond movie.”

“Hey, they’re dependable, cheap and expendable. But seriously, if you need anything, just call.”

You nodded, and decided to go ahead and ask a favor. “Laswell, I filed a restraining order against my ex…do you think you could push that through for me?”

“Yes, of course.” She scribbled something in her notebook as Price walked over.

“It was a pleasure doing business with ya. Hope your ribs heal alright.” He gave you a wink as you shook his hand. You gave him a knowing look. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“Aye, you’re quite resilient. Had the 141 scrambling trying to catch ya when we first met, and I’ve never seen someone break Ghost’s nose so quickly.”

You giggled at his compliment. You couldn’t believe that you and Price had come so far, from him kidnapping you, to him keeping you warm after a crazy mission to now where he complimented your technique used for breaking his lieutenant's nose.

A black SUV pulled up, ready to take you back to your new apartment. Price opened the door for you and Laswell shook your hand. “Really, we are just a call away.” You nodded at her and Price as you got in the car.

As you were driven away from Langley, Price turned to Laswell. “I can send Ghost out to shoot her ex so you don’t have to bother with the restraining order. I’m sure he’d be willing to do it.”

Laswell scoffed at Price as she walked away from him. “Absolutely not. I know I said she’s a part of the team now, but you’re already ready to kill for her?”

Price smiled, remembering how you felt so right laying against his chest just the other night. “Oh, you have no idea.”

Chapter Text

So far you have done a few more ops with Soap and Gaz, mostly data extracts or intercepting important technologies that are within the interest of national security. You had resisted at first, but Laswell always came with a good case of why they needed you, she always laid out her reasoning. All of those ops had gone smoothly, no intense firefights or explosions. No need for safe houses or evac, and no injuries. They were just in and out missions with a few guards killed here and there. Soap and Gaz were good at shielding you from it, whether it be putting themselves physically between you and the body, or warning you before they killed someone. They were also always checking up on you throughout the mission, making sure that you were okay, and asking if you needed a break or water or anything else. Sometimes, even making you giggle. They were kind and gentle with you, yet able to complete the mission without any hiccups. You felt most comfortable around them out of the rest of the team.

They understood your reserved nature and introversion. Soap is extremely outgoing, always trying to make conversation with anyone that’ll listen. Gaz, you decide, is a social introvert, and you respected him for it. You got along well with them since you were always willing to listen to whatever they had to say. You valued their comradery since they knew that they had to make an effort to check up on you, because you often would be silent even if something was bothering you. They were able to read you well, picking up on your giggles or your furrowed brow or your extreme quietness. You mostly stayed quiet. Both of them definitely wished you’d talk more, but they knew not to push you. You were like an onion. Many many layers that would only be revealed when you felt the time was right. It made them very attentive whenever you did decide to talk or share a life story. They hung on every word, encouraging you to share more. This, in turn, made you feel valued and thus a friendship formed between you three. You actually really really enjoyed working with them.

You had also done a few data analytics projects for Laswell through your employer. You basically told her that she is only allowed to come to you for an op or intel analysis if she makes a really good case for needing you. Surprisingly, she was good at it, and she was right when she told you that your skillset and attention to detail was in short supply, but in high demand. You still had a hard time trusting her, but she was slowly wearing you down. You had at least become cordial with Laswell.

You hadn’t seen much of Price or Ghost. To be honest, they both intimidated you immensely. Price had the position of power and experience. You were afraid to mess up in front of him, or for him to hear secondhand how you failed, so whenever you agreed to an op, you put your best foot forward, but to a fault sometimes. You would get so immersed in the task that you’d forget about yourself, whether it be eating, sleeping or hydrating. You didn’t want to disappoint him, and in turn that put you under a lot of stress. You wanted him to see and acknowledge your value that you brought to the team. Perhaps this stemmed from the fact that you were attracted to him from the start. Even in your miserable state in the interrogation room. Thinking back to it, you had been drawn to him, even though at the time you hadn’t realized it. Perhaps you were attracted to him because you knew it was wrong. You knew deep down that you should not be attracted to the captain of the task force. You were drawn to him because he was forbidden, untouchable.

Ghost was untouchable too, but in a different way. At least with Price, you caught his lingering gaze, and felt that he did see how valuable you were to his team. But, Ghost was untouchable in the sense that he refused to look at you or acknowledge you in any way. He refused to be sympathetic to you, and in turn that made you sad. You were done feeling upset or mad at him. You had lost all hope of any civility between the two of you, so now when you thought of Ghost it only elected feelings of sadness and hopelessness. There seemed to be no hope for at least being acquaintances, and you had no idea why. You were used to not fitting in, or only being included out of sympathy from others, but you were not used to being outright rejected, especially when you had done nothing blatantly wrong. You had no idea why he hated you so much, but you decided to not dwell on it for too long. Your mom had once told you to not concern yourself with things you can’t control. You couldn’t control what Ghost thought of you, so you brushed it off the best you could, and moved on. But, sometimes it was really difficult to move on, especially now when you found yourself in desperate need of Ghost.

You stared at the cheap flip phone that Laswell had given you to contact her. The message burned into your vision as you started to hyperventilate.

“Ghost will be over in 5.”

You wanted to text back and ask for Soap or Gaz, but you were frozen. You stopped breathing as you heard your ex’s footsteps approaching. You had spotted him as you were going up the steps to your apartment. You had the scary feeling that someone was following you, so you had watched the street outside of your apartment complex as you climbed the stairs. Sure enough, you were right, and you caught him walking toward you, actively looking for you. When he locked eyes with you, you ran up the rest of the stairs and into your apartment. You locked the door, hid underneath your bed and texted Laswell. It took Laswell 15 seconds to reply. You had counted, and you started counting again, wanting 5 minutes to be up already. You had never thought you’d want to see Ghost. You were desperate now for him.

The concoction of anxiety and desperation reared its ugly head in your stomach. You felt nauseous from your fear. Your thoughts raced, but yet you couldn’t focus on any one thing. You couldn’t form a plan on what to do, or where to go. You were trapped, and all you could do was wait on Ghost. You absolutely hated depending on others. You had been let know by so many others before, thus why you always elected to work alone. But, this time, there was no other way. You needed Ghost.

For a good minute, you heard your ex slamming his weight into your door, each blow threatening to break the deadbolt, the only thing separating you from him. It eventually broke, and you had to physically hold back a yelp of fear when the door frame finally shattered, letting your ex suddenly into your new apartment. He was taking his time getting to your bedroom, as if he knew you were listening. He was turning over all of your furniture, pushed your TV to the floor, broke all the dishes in your kitchen, and knocked over your dresser in your room. He was had ransacked your apartment, and you could now hear him heavily breathing from the exertion.

You held your breath and covered your mouth with your hand as tears of fear poured down your face. His feet were right in front of your face as he stood over your bed where you were hiding under. You continued to count. You were on the fourth minute now. Ghost should be here any second-

Suddenly, you were out in the open, being lifted by your scalp, feet dangling in the air. You screamed out in pain, arms shooting up to claw at the hand holding your hair in a vice grip.

“You thought you could hide from me, you little bitch.” Your ex had his mouth nestled right next to your ear as he held you still with his other hand choking you around your neck. You squirmed and thrashed, trying your best to get free from his hold. You were sobbing from fear and pain as he tightened his hold on you.

“That restraining order will never keep me from you. I have friends in the D.C. police force. I know they will turn a blind eye. You can’t hide from me.” He threw you down on the floor, causing you to land on your arm in an awkward way. You felt something snap and instant pain ripped through your arm. Something had definitely broken from the impact. You tried your best to crawl away from him, but you couldn’t put any weight on your arm, so you did your best to crawl with one arm. Somehow, through all of this commotion, you had been able to continue counting. Counting was the only thing keeping you present and hopeful. You felt him grab you by your hair again as you counted the 58th second. So close to five minutes.

“I’m going to have my way with you-“

He screamed out in pain as his grip released your hair. “Who the fuck are you?” You heard him shout as you hit the floor again, the impact further worsening your wrist injury.

“I’m the new boyfriend,” Ghost seethed.

You turned around on the floor to see Ghost on top of him, punching him repeatedly in the face. Blood and other liquids instantly start to ooze from all the holes of his face. It was clear that Ghost had instantly knocked him out, but Ghost continued to punch his limp body. At first you were frozen, mesmerized by his explicit display of strength and dominance. The sight of violence being inflicted on another who deserved it felt sweet. You sat there for a few seconds, allowing yourself to rest.

Finally you snapped out of it, screaming at Ghost to stop. You got up and grabbed at Ghost, trying to get him to stop. You were crying now, grabbing his arm and begging him to stop. Through your tears, you saw Laswell on the other side of Ghost, yelling at him that it was enough, that you were safe. He finally stopped, kneeling over your ex, and harshly breathing in air as his gaze was trailed on the gorey work of art he made of your ex. You sat back onto the bed, eyes glazed over as you watched blood soak into your new bedroom carpet.

She looked at you, eyes full of concern. “Are you okay?”

“H-he said that the restraining order w-wouldn’t keep him from me…th-that he had friends in the police department t-that they would turn a blind eye-“

“The police department won’t be hearing his case, the federal government will. You are an active agent for the US government and are under our protection, thus his actions are a threat to the US government, and he will be dealt with swiftly and deftly. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you never see him again.”

Laswell examined your wrist and neck. “Ghost, take her back to base and get her treated. I’ll take care of him.”

You could barely see anything because of your tears as Ghost gathered you into his arms as he carried you out of your apartment, careful to not put pressure on your injured arm. You passed swarms of CIA agents in your apartment, flooding into your bedroom as soon as Ghost carried you away.

“I-I can walk, you know.” You said this to him weakly as he continued to carry you down the stairs. He mostly ignored you, the only indication that he did hear you was a quick glance from him, before he turned his eyes back to the stairs. You sighed, knowing that he was probably annoyed that he had to come and help you, annoyed that this was all a waste of time to him. Nevertheless, you settled in his arms, noticing how light his steps were, you could barely feel the impact of his steps. He held you gently, not wanting to inflict anymore unnecessary pain on you. Despite your rocky interactions with him, you did feel safe. So safe that you closed your eyes as you drifted off to the swaying motion of his large gate.

You were slightly jostled when he entered a SUV. He sat in the passenger seat with you in his lap, as a CIA agent drove you both back to Langley. He glanced at your arm, noting the bone protruding from your wrist. You did your best to ignore it and not think about it. His gaze snapped back to the road when he saw you watching him look at you.

“Wrist is broken. Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“My neck. He choked me again.”

He just grunted in acknowledgement while his gaze still refused to meet yours. You slowly settled in his arms, in his lap. You tried your best not to think about how he was holding you, his hands pressed against your limbs as you continued to tremble from shock. He gave you no further physical reassurances or verbal comfort, but yet his presence was enough. You rested your head against his broad chest and nestled further into his arms. You could tell from his heart beat that he was calm, back to his normal status of indifference. Being held by him was such a stark change to just minutes ago, when you were being attacked by your ex. The contrast brought back tears to your eyes. The difference between safety and danger shocked you, held you sharply by the throat, and caused you to silently weep, doing your best to hide it from Ghost’s perceptive gaze.

But, you couldn’t hide from him. No, he was too attentive to your breathing and your pulse which he was constantly covertly checking while he held you. He finally turned his gaze towards you when he didn’t like how fast your pulse was. He used his index finger to turn your chin up so he could see you. Those tears that he hated seeing so much were back in full force, running down your face and collecting at your chin where his index finger rested. He could tell you were on the brink of a panic attack, however he kept his cool. He didn’t want to stress you out anymore, but he also knew if he didn’t act quickly, you’d faint. 

“Try to control your breathing. Follow my pattern…atta girl.”

“I-I’m sorry- I’m sorry you had to come and save me.”

He shushed you while shaking his head. “Shh shh there is nothing to be sorry about. Focus on your breathing.”

He continued to maintain eye contact while you further steadied your breathing. He indicated that you were doing well by whispering, “Good girl” and rubbing your chin with his index finger.

Eventually, he was satisfied with your pulse rate and guided your head back down to rest on his chest where he smoothed your hair out with his palm. “Try to rest.” 

The SUV stopped outside of the CIA infirmary. He carried you to the examination room, and sat with you as the doctors did a full assessment of your state, from emotional to physical. The doctors asked if you’d like him to leave, but you decided against it. Ghost had already seen you at your worst, what difference would it make for him to be present for this?

You could feel his eyes on you as you talked to the doctor, but you were never able to catch him in the act, too sneaky for his own good. As the doctor was preparing to set your wrist back into place, you glanced at Ghost and he finally made eye contact with you. To your surprise, he stood and approached you.

“You want me to be here while he sets your wrist in place?” His eyes peered down at you as he towered over you and the examination table. You were stunned that he was talking to you, and even more stunned that he was offering support. He must’ve seen the confusion on your face.

“You look terrified, but I can sit back-“

You make grabby hand motions with your good hand at him before he could finish his sentence. He immediately came closer, allowing you to lean into him and bury your head into his chest as you sat on the examination table, with your hurt wrist in the doctor’s hands. You could immediately feel Ghost’s hands on you, rubbing your back and massaging your scalp. You instantly relaxed into him and tried your best to calm your breathing.

“Ready?” The doctor asked. You nodded into Ghost’s chest. You waited with baited breath and felt a sudden shot of pain in your wrist. You whimpered and gasped into Ghost’s chest, causing him to pull you further into him, his hands more firmly gripping you, trying his best to comfort you. Tears pricked at your eyes, but the pain was soon gone.

“You did great.” Did Ghost just compliment you? You stared at him in bewilderment, but you were soon pulled out of your haze with the doctor talking to you about your injury and the painkillers he was prescribing you.

Ghost returned to his seat as the doctor applied a caste to your wrist. Once you were discharged, Ghost walked you to your room. “I need to grab a few things for you, I’ll be right back.” You mumble an “Okay” as you collapsed into your cot, completely worn out from the day.

Ghost came back quickly as he had promised, his arms full items. “I um heard you tell the doctor that you had just started your period, so I thought I’d gather a few items to help you through it. I know the first few days are the worst.”

Your mouth hung open as he set down a heating pad, a fuzzy blanket, chocolates, a massive water bottle, and some period products on your side table. Before you could thank him, he was already halfway out the door.

“Wait- Ghost”

He paused in the doorway, facing away from you still with his head turned down, waiting for you to talk. “Thank you.” You were still so confused about where this new side of him came from.

“Do you need anything else?”

“Do you have a shirt I could borrow? I don’t have anything to sleep in.” Laswell wanted you to stay a few days so that they could get people to clean up the disaster that your ex left in your apartment. You hadn’t gotten any of your clothes from your apartment yet.

Ghost nodded, and came back with one of his shirts, some toiletries and a towel so you could take a shower. After you showered, you slipped on his shirt, it falling to your upper thighs. It was massive, but very comfy and it smelled of Ghost’s cologne. You smiled as you smelled it. You were definitely going to keep his shirt. As you got settled into your cot, Ghost stopped by one last time.

He silently gave you your painkillers that the doctor had prescribed you and a water bottle. You took your meds as he watched. You might’ve caught him glancing at your body in his shirt and your exposed thighs as you sat on your cot, but you weren’t sure.

“Just let me know if you need anything, I’m in the next room to the left.”

“Ghost- um Ghost, could you- do you mind- could you stay with me? In the spare bed in here?”

You couldn’t look at him, afraid of seeing his annoyance written all over his face. You clasped your hands together, a nervous tick.

“Yep, sure. Here, let me turn on your heating pad.”

He didn’t look at you till you were settled into your cot with the heating pad on and situated across your belly, and you almost wished he’d seen the pure adoration on your face. Perhaps Ghost was starting to welcome you into the team? Maybe Soap, Gaz and Laswell told him how well you were doing, and now he felt that you were worthy of his approval?

“Get some rest, I’ll be here reviewing some notes for my next mission.” Once you were settled, he turned the lights off. Ghost was stretched out on the spare cot with his night goggles on reading through a report.

“Night Ghost.”

—————  ҉  —————

You woke from hearing Ghost and Price whispering outside your slightly open door. You stayed as still as possible and kept your breathing the same so that they would not know you were listening.

“How is she? I was stuck in a long briefing for the mission tomorrow. I tried leaving when Laswell told me you were on your way to her, but General Shepherd forced me to stay.” Price sounded pissed. 

“That fucker broke her wrist and choked her again. She’s okay now, but definitely shaken. Wanted me to stay near her while she slept. Can’t believe that cunt thought he could come into her apartment and touch her. I made sure to put him away though.”

“Yeah, Laswell told me you really let him have it. Glad you did. Wish I could’ve been there to contribute, but I knew you’d get the job done. I noticed she’s sleeping in your shirt?”

“Aye, she looks good in it, yeah?”

“Mmm, wish it was mine she was wearing.”

“Nah, she looks like she was meant to wear my shirt only. Just need to add my dog tags to complete the look.”

“Is she wearing anything underneath?”

“Panties, but other than that, no.”

“Christ, she has such a hold on me. She could ask me to do anything, and I’d do it for her.”

“Yeah, same here. There’s just something about her.”

You couldn’t focus on anything else they were saying because you were in utter shock. Did you hear them correctly? Did they like you? Were they attracted to you? You nearly jumped from hearing the door open again as Ghost came back in and settled back on the cot. You tried your best to calm your rapidly beating heart. Perhaps there was hope for you and Ghost after all.

Chapter Text

Artwork prompt: You worked as quickly as you could, operating the various spy satellites and drones that the CIA had at their disposal to try to find a new route for the team. Wombo.art

The cheap flip phone emits a harsh shrill ring that made you jump as you were making your way to bed after showering. You checked the time. It was almost midnight on a weekday, and you had work tomorrow. You dreaded answering the phone, but you knew that Laswell would only contact you if she was in some deep shit. You and her had finally established those boundaries: only contact you if there was no other option.

You answered the phone, and braced yourself. She said your name quickly, “We need you to come in now. Our intel is all wrong, and we need new intel in real-time or else the boys will be in trouble. There’s a car outside waiting to pick you up. Please, we need you.”

She said all of that with no breaks, no dramatic pauses, no room for breathing, no room for even thinking. You could tell she was busy since she was speaking on autopilot. You could tell she was stressed and tired by her tone.

“On my way.” Ever since Ghost had saved you from your abusive ex, you felt like you owed the 141. Perhaps this would be how you repaid them.

You were in your pajamas and slippers, but you didn’t care. They needed you now, so you rushed out of your apartment just with your phone and keys. You quickly locked the door and padded down to the waiting car. You frantically got in and tried your best to settle your rapidly beating heart. You needed to switch into working mode. No sleep would be coming anytime soon. You needed to be ready to work and think on your feet. Lives could be lost if you slipped up. You did your best to fortify your mind while the car drove fast towards Langley.

Laswell met you at the entrance of the building that the car stopped in front of. She briefed you on the situation as you both quickly walked through the dark hallways to the operation room.

“Ghost, Gaz, and Soap are on an op that went to shit because our intel’s wrong. We are trying to guide them to a medevac, but there’s no one on staff right now that can help them get real time data to make decisions on a route that they can take. All experts are on other missions since we trusted our intel way too much apparently. We need you to use the spy satellites to give them a good route. Does that make sense?”

You nodded as Laswell opened the door for you. You were greeted with tons of computer screens on the far wall showing different views of the locations of the men. The lights were off, so the screens illuminated the room, casting it in a noir film-like hue. A half dozen people were on computers with headsets, typing and talking in hushed tones. You spotted Captain Price pacing the room, talking out loud. You heard Ghost respond over a loudspeaker, “Any update on intel? We are sitting ducks out here.”

Price turned to you, and intently stared at you. “We will have an update for you in just a few minutes.” He turned the mic off as he walked over to you.

“Laswell briefed me on the situation. I’ll do my best to help.”

“No, you will get my men out of there in one piece. That’s an order.”

His tone was clinical and stern, which made sense because of the situation and his rank, but it still shocked you how different he was from the first mission you had with him. Despite the shock, you snapped out of it, building up a wall dividing your work from your emotions. You had to actively separate them right now. Once the job was done, you could dismantle that wall, brick by brick, and re-evaluate everything.

Laswell guided you to a computer at the center of the room which corresponded to the biggest screen on the wall, so everyone could see what you were doing. You thickly swallowed the fear that was rising in you and got to work. You absolutely hated having an audience while you worked, but you had to push past that now. You felt the adrenaline pick up when you heard Ghost and the others returning fire over the coms. You worked as quickly as you could, operating the various spy satellites and drones that the CIA had at their disposal to try to find a new route for the team. Your fingers were flying over the keyboard as you did on the fly analysis of the satellite imagery and live video from the drones.

You could feel how livid Price was as he paced around the room. He barked at each of the support crew, trying to get something for his team to work off of. He sternly talked to Laswell for what felt like the fourth time about why the intel was wrong and how it was wrong. Finally, he stopped behind you as you worked furiously at the data, trying to get some analysis done so you could feel confident in what you were about to tell the team.

“What is the hold up?”

Even though he was right behind you, he was practically shouting at you. You had a brief flashback of how he had wiped away your tears from your first mission and then later spooned you while you both shared a bed in the safe house. That tenderness was gone from his voice and movements as he harshly grabbed the chair you were sitting in.

“I said , what is the hold up?”

You ignored Price and continued working. You just needed a few more seconds to let the analysis run, and then you’d be ready.

“Okay, I got it.” You proceeded to turn on the mic and give instructions to Ghost. Never in your life did you ever think that you’d be giving orders to an elite soldier that absolutely terrified you. Even though you heard Ghost and Price admit that they had feelings for you, you still weren’t convinced. It almost felt like a trick or a prank, especially with how Price was treating you now. You tried to reason that he was just acting his rank now because his men were in trouble, but what if the safe house interaction and the conversation you overheard were just outliers? What if he actually didn’t like you at all? Or he thought he did like you, but then you fucked up and he didn’t like you anymore?

You tried your best to push those intrusive thoughts behind you as you instructed Ghost around a blockage that had just popped up. A convoy of the enemy had just blocked their path that you were leading them on and you had to figure out a new one. You took about 30 seconds to figure out a new one. The whole time, you could feel Price behind you. You willed yourself to ignore him and push forward.

Finally, you had a new path and quickly told Ghost to hook a right behind the warehouse, but to do so quickly and quietly as the enemy was fast approaching their location. You re-checked their route as they moved forward, rerunning some of your code to reanalyze the satellite and drone data since their path was covered by a dense canopy of trees. You had to reroute them a few more times as your re-analysis showed new enemy fighters popping up in their way.

“You need to work faster.” Price snapped at you as you heard Ghost breathing heavily from running toward the medevac location. Price’s voice was loud, loud enough to be considered a shout, and it was harsh and demanding. But, Ghost and the others were so close now. You ignored Price and continued to re-check that the medevac location was clear of hostiles. “Ghost, you are good to go to the extraction location.”

You held your breath as the boys loaded on to the Black Hawk and were carried away to safety. You let your breath out as Laswell came over and grasped your shoulder in congratulations. “Great job, we could not have gotten them out of there without you.”

You gave her a weak smile and a nod. You slowly felt the adrenaline drain out of you and exhaustion soon took its place. You rubbed your palms over your face and looked around the room. Everyone was coming up and shaking your hand, telling you did a great job, but you weren’t paying attention to them. You were looking for Price. Was he going to come up to you and chat now? Maybe he would put this all behind you and start where you had left off? But, he never came. You looked around, trying your best to not look frantic. You finally saw him, but all you could see was his back as he marched through the door and out of the room.

Your heart clenched from the sight. Maybe he hated you now because you didn’t work fast enough. What if he thought your work wasn’t good enough and he suggested that you be let off the team?

“You should get some rest. Your room is open for you. Those reports can wait till tomorrow.” Laswell was trying her best to get you to turn off your work brain now, but you knew you weren’t going to get any sleep any time soon, especially with how Price was treating you.

“I’m good. I’m going to stay and just do the report now. Might as well while I’m wide awake and everything’s fresh in my mind.”

“Alright, suit yourself. You did really good work. Thank you again for coming and helping us out.”

“No problem.” You gave her a thumbs up as she waved goodbye.

You worked on writing the report which recounted everything you did. This was something you had to do after each mission you helped with. It was annoying at first, but you actually ended up finding it emotionally helpful, almost like writing in a diary, but in a very technical and dry writing style. You often wondered how much of it would end up being redacted, or if anyone would end up reading it at all. Either way, you always had to do it, so you just liked to do it right after the mission, no matter how tired you were.

You finished up after writing for an hour and half. After that, you walked over to your room and found that the towel, toiletries and Ghost’s shirt were all waiting for you, neatly folded on your cot. You quickly showered and changed into only Ghost’s shirt. You forgot how comfortable it was and were excited to be in it again.

As you got ready for bed, you thought back to Price and how he treated you during the mission today. You realized that you were pretty upset by his actions. In all honesty, you were expecting him to be much nicer to you, especially after the incident with your ex. You weren’t kidding yourself when you thought that he and Ghost would be more protective and possessive of you, but you guessed that that was just wishful thinking. Perhaps you were feeling this way and wanting them to act protective and possessive of you since you were lonely. While being single was liberating, you were terrible at making new friends at work. You really craved human connection, and you really felt that with the 141. Soap and Gaz were great to work with, always making you giggle and smile, and they always made you feel like a valuable part of the team. Your budding friendship with Laswell was going well so far ever since you both established and stuck to your boundaries. You looked to Ghost and Price for validation, but you were coming to realize that that might just always lead to disappointment. Just thinking about it made your eyes water. You just wanted to be valued by all members of the team. You always felt confused when it came to Ghost and Price. Sometimes they seemed to care about you, but then other times they seemed so distant. It all was so confusing and frustrating.

You absentmindedly walked to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. It was so late, but there was no way you were going to be falling asleep anytime soon. Ghost and Price had taken away that luxury for tonight. You were too upset by everything. As you were trying to reach for a glass in the cupboard, you felt warmth at your back. A large hand appeared above yours and grabbed the glass for you. You turned around and were face to face with a board chest just inches from you. You visibly jumped back into the counter.

“Here ya go. I’ll have to move those glasses down so that you can reach them next time.”

You craned your neck to look up to his chin, but you already knew who it was. From the faint hints of cigar and whiskey and the gruff accent, you knew Price was towering above you.

“Thanks, Captain.”

“No problem, sweetheart. Sorry for startling you.”

“It’s okay.” You hadn’t made eye contact with him yet. He was still so close to you. He had backed off a bit, but you both were sandwiched between the kitchen counter and the kitchen island, so really only room for one person.

“You did good today…really good.”

You could tell he meant it. He was going all soft on you.

“Thanks, Captain.” You still couldn’t look at him, not after how he had treated you.

“I…ah I wanted to apologize for how I talked to you earlier today. I was stressed about the team, but that is no excuse for how I treated you. I’m sorry, love.”

You tried your best to keep it together, but you just couldn’t. You thought back to the first mission, and how you witnessed so many people being killed. The bullets, the blood and the explosions. Price had helped you through all of that. Helped you forget about it. You thought back to your ex, and how Ghost had literally saved you. He had comforted you and stayed close to you as you recovered. But, yet they both sometimes acted cold toward you. You figured it was their way of dealing with their shit. Their jobs were extremely stressful and demanding, and sometimes they had to act a certain way in order to keep everyone safe. You were trying your best to adjust to that, but as a civilian it was hard.

You started to cry out of frustration. Why couldn’t you be stronger for them? Why couldn’t you just keep it together like they all did? Why couldn’t you just be numb instead?

You harshly wiped the tears away, trying your best to keep them to yourself, but Price was watching you like a hawk. He momentarily stopped breathing when he saw you wiping at your eyes. 

“Oh, sweetheart…no no no, please don’t cry,” he whispered to you, watching you as you fussed and wiped at your now wet face. He hated that you still hadn’t looked him in the eye yet, but he figured that he didn’t deserve to see you fully, not after how he had treated you. That’s alright, perhaps if he showed you how sorry he was, you’d be willing to forgive him fully.

Your vision was blurry from all the tears that were freely falling. You tried your best to wipe them away, but you couldn’t keep up. You flinched when you felt a pair of fingertips wiping them away for you.

“Sh sh, I’m here. It’s just me. Let me take care of you.”

You shamelessly let out a soft sob as Price framed your face with his large hands. He angled your face slightly down.

“You did just a good job today, sweetheart…don’t be shy, sweetie, look at me.”

You did as you were told and opened your eyes. Price was kneeling before you. You barely had to look down since he’s such a tall man.

“There she is, there’s my little tech whiz,” whispered Price as he grinned at you. You giggled a bit as he pulled you into a hug. He turned his face so that the side of face pressed into your chest. He wrapped his arms fully around you, squeezing you into a hug. You hiccupped and sniffed, but eventually you wrapped your arms around him, and hugged back.

“It’s okay, love. It’s all over. You were such a good girl for me. Kept all of my men safe. I’m so proud of you.”

His kind words elected another sob out of you. Price reached up and smoothed your hair as he continued to hold you in an embrace.

“Such a good girl. Sh sh, I’ve got you now. I’m so sorry for being mean to you, love. Never should have treated you like that. You don’t deserve that.”

He started to rub circles in your back and swayed you back and forth, lulling you to settle down. He turned his head so that he could look at you. He rested chin on your chest as he gazed into your eyes.

“How are you feeling, love? Better?”

You nodded.

“Good girl, I’m glad. Will you let your Captain show you how much he cares about you? Will you let him make you feel even better?”

You nodded again, but he clicked his tongue at you, “Use your words, sweetheart.”

You thickly swallowed and then whispered, “Yes, Captain.”

He hummed deeply, “Such a good girl. If you want me to stop at any point, just tell me. You are in full control, alright?”

You nodded, but weren’t quite sure what he was talking about. What was Price about to do?

Price started to slowly slide his hands down from your back. You could feel his large hands pressing into you and leaving a warm trail as they traveled down. He intently watched you for any negative reactions. They lightly squeezed your bare ass which elected a squeak from you and then a giggle. He grinned in response and lightly pushed you against the kitchen counter.

You slowly lost your smile as he sank his head down to be level with your pussy. “Do you want me to stop?” He questioned with a serious tone. “No, Captain.” You could feel yourself starting to drip with arousal.

“Good girl.”

He looked at where your pussy was just barely covered by Ghost’s shirt. He slowly pressed his face against your clothed pussy, burrowing his face into your mound, and he took a deep sniff in. “You smell so sweet, love. Can’t seem to keep myself away. Open your legs for me, sweetheart. Let me in.”

You obediently spread your legs wider, allowing Price to have better access to you. He bunched Ghost’s shirt up above your hips, exposing you to him. He pushed his face in again, this time against your bare mound, and took another big deep sniff in. He let out the breath against your clit and you squirmed.

“Put your legs on my shoulders, sweetheart. Lean into the counter and I’ll hold you up. Trust me, love, I’ve got you.” He looked up at you and muttered, “Yes sir.”

You could barely think. The Captain of 141 was about to eat you out as an apology. What the fuck was your life right now? This is not how you thought today was going to go. Being eaten out by one of two of your crushes in the wee hours of the morning.

“Oh and, love, please do not hold back your moans. None of the men are here, so you can be as loud as you would like. I want to hear how good I’m making you feel, alright sweetheart?”

“Yes, Captain.”

“John, call me John, sweetheart.”

“Yes, John.”

He helped you get your legs on his shoulders, so that he could fully take on your weight. You leaned back on to the kitchen counter as he pressed in. His hands rested under your ass, pushing you up so that your wet pussy hovered over his face. He had perfect access to your clit and cunt.

“Feel secure, love?”

“Yes, John.”

“You’re so good at following orders, sweetheart.” 

He leaned in and moved his tongue quickly against your clit, making you arch your back in response. 

“Such a beautiful view, sweetheart. I’ve always wanted to see you like this.” He was watching you as he swiped his tongue on your clit. A little gasp came from you and he groaned. He kept this up for a while, surprisingly building up to your orgasm quickly. 

“That’s it, sweetheart. Being such a good girl for your Captain. Be loud for me…please.”

You fisted his hair as he continued. You moaned and gasped as his ministrations pushed you further and further to your release. He pulled away right as you were about to come and slipped his tongue fully into your pussy. You moaned out in frustration, but also loved the feeling of his tongue being clenched in your pussy. He pumped his tongue in and out of you, rubbing it against your g spot as his nose rubbed against your clit.

You could feel that his beard was absolutely soaked with your juices. He growled again as you squeezed his hair tight in your fists, moaning as his tongue expertly worked you up again. You were a moaning mess yet again, almost crying from how good he was making you feel. You were chanting his name, grinding your hips against him, properly using his face to get yourself off. He groaned deeply as you ground deeply into his face. You were practically lost in it as your orgasm rapidly began to build.

Again, at the last second, he pulled away so that you couldn’t come. You screamed in frustration, and you could hear him chuckle lightly as he began to shift underneath you. “Trust me, sweetheart. This will be worth it.” He pushed you up further so that you were sitting, hanging off of the kitchen counter.

He suckled your clit gently as you came down from yet another orgasm denial. You were frustrated, but you knew what he was doing. You knew that the denial would make it all the more intense. He went back to licking your clit, but slowly worked a finger into your pussy.

You moaned and pleaded, “John, please.”

He slurped at your clit, muttering, “I know, baby, I know. Just trust me, love. Let me be in control. Let me take care of you.”

You clenched around his finger, his words having such a strong effect on you and loving how he curled it into your g spot. He slipped another finger in, but just barely since you were clenching your pussy so hard.  He continued to work your clit, using tight circles of his tongue to make you gasp and moan out. His other hand moved deftly inside your tight cunt, pumping you full. He continued, eventually with a total of four of his fingers curling against your g spot. 

You were a moaning mess, calling his name out and gripping his hair tightly as he wound you up. Your orgasm finally ripped through you as he sucked at your clit while pumping his four fingers against your g spot. You gushed around his fingers as you screamed his name.

He held you as you came down from your high. He slowly slipped his fingers from your pussy and used his other hand to rub your back.

“J-john, John tha…that was amazing.”

“Oh, you did such a good job, sweetheart. Such a good girl. My good girl. I got you, babygirl.”

He looked up at you as he was still between your legs. His eyes crinkled as he smiled up at you, his beard glistening with your juices.

“Clean my fingers for me, sweetheart.”

In a daze, you obediently opened your mouth for him, and sucked on them, tasting yourself. You swirled your tongue around his fingers, getting all of your wetness from them. He squeezed your back as your tongue worked his fingers. He nipped at your thigh, not being able to help himself.

“Fuck, love, your mouth feels so good.” He sounded ragged and spent. He pulled his fingers from you. He looked lost for just a moment after you released his fingers with a pop, but he quickly snapped out of it.

“Let’s get you to bed. I’ve worked you hard enough today.”

“B-but what about you?”

“Sh sh, sweetheart. You’ve done enough for me today. Don’t worry about me. You need to rest.”

You wanted to return the favor to him, but you decided not to protest. He helped you off the counter and guided you to your room. You leaned heavily into him since you had a hard time walking. He chuckled, but let you use him for stability. Once at your doorway, he gave you a quick kiss on your forehead. You reached for his lips, but he clicked his tongue at you.

“If I let you do that, I’ll have to fuck you, sweetheart. Why don’t we save that for another time, yeah?”

You pouted and gave him your best puppy dog eyes.

“Now now, love, that’s not fair. Don’t give me that look. You’re making me want to get on my knees again and ask for forgiveness.”

You giggled and smiled at him. “Alright, Captain. I look forward to you fucking me later.”

“Likewise, sweetheart. Now get some sleep. You deserve it.”

Chapter Text

Artwork prompt: More explosions continued as the fire spread to fuel sources and other explosives. Smoke billowed out into the open landscape, spreading as the wind pushed it towards the canyon. Created by AI on wombo.art.

Fic song rec: Who’s Ready for Tomorrow by RAT BOY, IBDY

You really thought things would be different now between you and Ghost. A girl could hope, right?

“What the fuck took you so long?”

You quickly ducked your head as you tried your best to catch your breath. You stared at the dusty ground of the guard outpost you just ran into with Soap. You could feel Ghost glaring directly at you, but thankfully Soap took the brunt of his anger. You tried your best to just focus on the rough wall digging into your tactical vest as you closed your eyes, trying desperately to calm your fluttering heart.

“We’re here, LT, aren’t we?”

“Then why haven’t you blown up that wretched base yet? What the fuck are you two waiting for?”

The mission was to rescue prisoners of war from an enemy base and blow it to bits. You had provided the intel, and had rigged their self-destruction system so that it could be triggered once the prisoners were out safely.

“Would you like to do the honors, lass?”

Soap gave you a gentle smile and handed you the detonator. You gulped and took it from him. He gave you a small nod of assurance. When you activated the detonator a huge explosion erupted behind you. Smoke billowed into the clear blue sky as wicked spouts of fire licked high into the air. More explosions continued as the fire spread to fuel sources and other explosives. Smoke billowed out into the open landscape, spreading as the wind pushed it towards the canyon.

“Laswell, the asset has been destroyed.” Ghost looked out at the wreckage, eyes intently scanning for any movement.

“Good, is she okay? Move to the evac site now.”

“Affirmative.” He chanced a glance at you, and caught you staring. You quickly looked back at Soap, who was helping you suit up in a harness. “Solid copy, out.”

“Let’s go. Do not fall behind.” He glared at you until you whispered, “Yes sir.”

They both already had their harnesses on. This evac was going to be a scary one. You followed them out of the building and moved further into the canyon beyond the destroyed enemy base. A helicopter was supposed to come with a rappel rope, where you all three would attach yourselves to it. The evac had to be fast since the enemy had probably detected the massive explosion by now. You ran after Ghost with Soap right behind you.

Your lips were dry from the desert heat and mouth caked with the dust. You tried your best to push past your discomfort, focusing on Ghost’s snatched hips as he moved further into the canyon. His legs were so much longer than yours, but you continued to push yourself to keep up with him. You glanced up and saw the helicopter flying overhead to the evac location which was just a few hundred meters in front of you.

You could hear gun fire behind you, but you continued forward, remembering Ghost’s instructions to not stop. The helicopter returned fire, a humming blaze of bullets streaming down to the enemy behind you. Ghost had already hooked in and was returning fire behind you and Soap.

Soap attached you first and then himself. He positioned you behind him and Ghost as more bullets whizzed past you. The helicopter continued to return fire as it started to rise into the air. You held the rope tightly and focused on the Union Jack flag on Ghost’s uniform as you felt your feet leaving the ground. The bullets eventually stopped and you could finally breathe, but not for long as the helicopter continued to rise further and further up. You felt your stomach drop as you took in the landscape around you as you hung in the air.

The rope started to pull you three up. Ghost and Soap pushed you first into the helicopter, and clambered in after you. You moved to the center seat, away from the edge and tried to steady your breathing, like Ghost taught you. Soap sat next to you and wrapped his arm around you. You curled into him and closed your eyes. This had become routine for you and Soap. After each mission, he’d give you some sort of physical comfort and reassurance while traveling back to base. The rest of the team never batted an eye, and you silently thanked them.

As you settled in, Ghost and Soap had a brief nonverbal exchange. Soap gave Ghost a thumbs up and pulled you in closer to him. Ghost nodded as he climbed into the shotgun seat.

—————  ҉  —————

You were awoken by the helicopter touching down at an undisclosed location. Even though you were a critical part of the support team for Bravo 6, they still kept certain details from you. You think they did it to give you a false sense of security. At first, it was annoying, but you got used to it after awhile, once you started to trust the team.

You burrowed further into Soap’s chest, not wanting to move. “Time to go into debriefing.” He petted your hair gently as the helicopter blades slowed down to a halt. You gave him a muffled, “No”, causing his chest to rumble with laughter. It made you smile, but you still refused to move. You flattened your cheek against his chest, the feel of the rough exterior of his tactical vest grounding you after the harrowing mission.

You felt a large set of hands encircle your waist and lift you off of the seat and away from Soap. You let out a surprised whimper as you were hoisted into Ghost’s arms. You instinctually wrapped your arms around his neck and your legs around his midsection. You were wide awake now, not sure what was going on.

“Let’s go, princess. We are already late.” He took his arms away from you so that he could hold his gun. You yelped as you began to slip, but tightened your grip around him, causing you to push yourself fully into him. He chuckled out a husky “good girl”, one that you could only hear, as he began to walk towards the hangar. You shivered from his response while you held him tight. Of course that motherfucker chuckled again. This bitch was teasing you.

What was Ghost up to? He was a hardass during the mission, and now he wants to carry you? Why was he like this? You bet that he wanted to carry you to make Price jealous. You wondered if Ghost knew about Price eating you out. Surely, Price wouldn’t have shared details about such an intimate moment, would he? You wanted to be mad about being man-handled by Ghost, but you surprisingly enjoyed being at his mercy. This realization was exhilarating, but also slightly worried you. Did you have a size kink?

Ghost eventually sets you down in a chair next to Price. He was glaring at Ghost, his eyebrows furrowed. You could feel the tension between them, but Ghost seemed unphased, while Price was buzzing with energy, a mix of concern and jealousy. You could definitely get used to this.

“Thought I told you to take good care of her? Is she injured?”

“No, just felt like carrying her. Plus, she needs her rest.” Ghost said this cheekily over his shoulder as he slandered over to a chair opposite of you. He again caught you staring at him, but this time it was his hips that you were fixated on. You quickly looked away, but you heard him chuckle.

“Well, how did she do?”

“Good, still slow as hell, but good.”

You stared at your hands in your lap, not sure what else to do. Ghost was slowly easing up on you, but it was still a lot. You wanted to please Price and Ghost so much that it hurt, but you didn’t know what else to do. All you could do was try your best, but that still didn’t seem like enough for Ghost.

“I knew she’d be able to do it.”

Why the fuck did this turn you on? Their conversation about you, why? Why was it hot? Why were you turned on by them talking about you, as if you weren’t there?

Laswell strided in and your attention snapped to her. She quickly debriefed the mission, saying it was a success and that all prisoners of war were recovering and were receiving medical treatment now. She congratulated you on her way out. She took Price and Ghost with her for another meeting, and Soap guided you to your designated room.

You worked diligently on your mission report while sitting on your stiff cot. You typed away into the night, trying your best to provide as much detail as possible. You briefly thought back to Ghost and his interactions with you. His scoldings, commands, and harsh glares, they all came tumbling back as you finished typing out the report. You always felt so overwhelmed after a mission, especially if Ghost was on that mission. The fear and desire to please your superiors had always been there with every job, but with Price and Ghost, it was so much more amplified. Probably because they both were insanely attractive and capable men. It was particularly bad with Ghost since he was still hard on you. Price was much more giving, while Ghost was very much rough around the edges.

You welcomed exhaustion and anxiety as you started to tear up. These missions were too much sometimes, but thankfully Laswell did not call on you regularly. They were spaced out by months, which allowed you to recover. Since they were top secret, you weren’t allowed to go to therapy to get it out of your system, so you had to figure it out on your own. Recovery usually started with a long crying session after writing the report for Laswell.

After emailing the report to Laswell, you laid on your cot and cried. Hiccups, sniffles, and snot all came out as you thought back over the mission. You covered your eyes with your hands and pressed down hard until you saw sparks. You wished you could just forget about the missions and all the interactions with Ghost and Price when they were high strung and in soldier mode. You wished you could stop yourself from catching feelings for both of them. You knew it would not lead down a safe path. Their schedules were insane and their lives were threatened on every mission. They were basically playing Russian roulette every time they left base. It was terrifying to think about how many missions were barely successful. One misstep, one misfire, one slip up could have killed them.

“You alright, love?” You jumped and sat up. Price was in the doorway with worry written all over his face. He must’ve opened your door while you were busy balling your eyes out.

“Y-yeah, just…the mission was a lot.”

“Was Ghost mean to you again?” The question was immediate, almost like he had it waiting, itching to ask you. He looked like he knew the answer too.

“Yeah,” you whispered and laid back on your cot, letting your arms fall out and legs hang off the end of the bed,  encouraging the tears to fall more freely now that the cat’s out of the bag. You could feel Price sit down next to you on the bed.

“You know…he’s like that because he cares about you.”

“He wasn’t like that when he saved me from my crazy abusive ex. It’s confusing!” You felt flustered. Were you the problem? Was there something wrong with you? Were you missing something?

“With that situation, he knew he was in control and that he could easily protect you. With the missions, he’s not in control. That’s the difference.”

“So, he’s just allowed to be an ass because he’s not in complete control of a situation? How is that okay? How is that reasonable? Behavior explains trauma, but it does not excuse it.”

Price sighed and dragged his hand down his face. “Love, with this job, after a while you have to deal with people’s quirks. This is how he has survived every mission. It is what works for him. Remember, sweetheart, we are all already broken and mad. We stick with what works. It’s that simple. I promise it’ll get better with time as he learns what you’re capable of and he starts to trust you more and more. Okay?”

“Yeah, okay.” You rolled over to your side and pouted at Price.

“Don’t do that. You know my weaknesses well. I’d love to make ya feel better… in multiple ways…but paperwork is calling my name. I gotta go.”

“Okayyyyy.” 

Price leaned forward and brushed your hair out of your face. “Sweetheart, try to not take what Ghost says during missions too personally. He knows your worth to the team. That he has never doubted, I can tell you that for sure. Alright?”

You almosttttt say “Yes Daddy” but thank goodness you caught yourself. Too afraid to speak, you just nod your head. Price leaves you with a forehead kiss and a lot to think about.

—————  ҉  ————— 

You could hear screams, sirens, and other unintelligible chaos as you ran further and further away from the explosion. Your heart was beating fast and your blood rushed in your ears as you tried to stay focused. You followed the crowds of people also fleeing what could only be a terrorist attack.

You glanced back once and could see fire spewing out of the White House’s windows. Cop cars and helicopters were already circling the White House. The Fourth of July parade was in disarray as the crowds that came to watch the festivities were scrambling to get away from the scene. As you turned back around, you tripped over someone cutting you off.

You felt a sharp pain in your ankle as you rolled it over, falling hard onto the pavement scraping your knee in the process. You did your best to crawl to the nearest building so that you were out of the way of everyone running. A few people tripped over you as you dragged yourself out of the waves of people. You were panting from the effort, still in shock about the explosion, and not entirely sure what to do or where to go. Your apartment was close, but perhaps too close. It may not be safe to go there now, because what if this was not just an isolated terrorist attack?

That didn’t matter though, because there was no way you would be able to run, let alone walk there. Your ankle throbbed as you huddled against the wall of a building as everyone rushed to safer ground. You could call Laswell! Yes, you’d call her. She’d know what to do.

You desperately dug through your purse to find the plastic flip phone that she gave you. Your hands were trembling from the shock and adrenaline coursing through you. You had tried to steady your breathing like Ghost had taught you, but it wasn’t working, and that made you panic even more.

Just as you were about to flip the phone open, you noticed black combat boots walking towards you. You traced your eyes up the legs and torso and shoulders and neck to finally realize it was Ghost. He was already here. He brushed past the hoards of people rushing in all directions. He was a mountain among the surf of people. He pushed forward with little effort, eyes locking with your misty ones.

“Time to go, sweetheart.”

Before you could answer, he scooped you up in his arms and carried you to a nearby black SUV. Inside, you could see Soap at the wheel and you spied Gaz in shotgun. Price greeted you with a concerned smile as Ghost sat down in the back seat with you in his lap.

“Step on it, Soap.”

You buried your head into Ghost’s chest, letting out a brief sob, as Soap tried his best to drive through the frantic crowd. You wanted all of this to stop and go back to the parade. You felt so overwhelmed by it all. It was your one day off from work and you had wanted to enjoy the sunshine and the festivities, but that all came crashing down.

Ghost subtly began to rub your back as you leaned into him more. Price gently rubbed your ankle. “You hurt, love?”

You hiccuped as you nodded. “Yeah, rolled my ankle and scraped my knee.” You extended your leg into Price’s lap, his fingers gently gliding over your exposed leg. “I’m sorry you got caught up in all this. I’ll make you feel better, yeah?” You nodded as Price got out his medkit. He gently held your foot as he popped the instant cold pack, pressed it to your ankle, and wrapped it with tape.

He moved closer to sit next to Ghost, so that he could see your scraped knee. “Gonna sting just a bit, okay?” You nodded as you watched Price start to clean your knee with disinfectant. “All better now.” He smiled up at you as he finished applying a bandage.

“Can we have your phone, sweetheart? You know the rules.”

Huffing, you peel yourself away from Ghost to look in your purse. Ghost glided his hands to your hips, steadying you as you rummaged through your purse and handed your phone over to Price. You could feel Ghost’s eyes on you, but you decided to ignore him for now. He was getting plenty of touches in anyways, right?

“Anyone we should message for you? Oh, it looks like you have quite a few messages…from a lot of guys.”

You watched over Ghost’s shoulder as Price scrolled through all of the text message notifications. He was wearing an expression you couldn’t quite place. Was he…jealous? Exasperated, you leaned your head against Ghost’s shoulder. Ghost held your low back as you talked back to Price. Normally, you’d not like this much physical contact, but his presence was reassuring you that you were, in fact, safe.

“They’re just a few guys that I went on one or two dates with. Nothing serious. Definitely nothing to worry about.” You tried your best to reassure Price, but you could tell that he was stonewalling you. Yep, this man was jealous. Ghost seemed unphased as usual, just scanning the traffic that Soap was weaving through.

“I need to text all of them back? Why are you still messaging them?”

“Yeah, you should probably reply to all of them. I’m not actively messaging them. They all just kind of, I don’t know, occasionally still reach out?”

You had never really thought of it as being weird, but now that Price pointed it out, perhaps it was weird?

Soap decided to chime in. “They’re all still into you.” Gaz nodded his head enthusiastically. He glanced at you with a mischievous smile and gave you a wink. You shook your head in disbelief, but before you could say anything, Ghost agreed. “Yeah, why else would they still be messaging you?”

“Maybe they’re just being nice to me? Just want to be friends?”

“Nah, they want to fuck you.” You gasped and Ghost started to chuckle as you playfully slapped his chest. You had gone on a couple dates after you signed up for a few of the dating apps. All the dates were awful and you immediately deleted them after a month of torture. Looks like you’d be single for life. Honestly, the revelation was relieving and freeing.

“Alright, I’ll message them back, but you have to tell me why you didn’t like each of them.” Price gave you a smirk while you gave him the most intense eye roll you could muster.

You groaned and went back to being buried in Ghost’s arms. He pulled you tighter against him as you settled in. It seemed like Ghost was a sucker for cuddling. “This is torture.”

“No, love, it isn’t. Far from it. Just do as you’re told.”

You glance back up at Ghost and was met with his brown eyes staring down at you. They were light as they examined you with a hint of humor. You huffed out, “Fineeee.”

“First one is Bryan. What’s wrong with him?”

“Inconsiderate asshole.”

“What about Luke?”

“Unmotivated to quit his job and find something that makes him happy.”

“Chris?”

“Only works, no hobbies.”

“John?”

“Mansplained my own job to me.”

“Noah?”

“Possesses no curiosity about the world.”

“Max?”

“Absolutely no sense of humor.”

“Rex?”

“Takes himself wayyyy too seriously. He thinks he’s the greatest gift to the universe.”

“James?”

“Asked me if I was fertile.”

“Paul?”

“The vibes were just off. My instinct told me no.”

“Luther?”

“Sexist.”

“Leo?”

“Only talked about himself. Asked me no questions during our date. And he’s a mama’s boy. Actually, they’re all mama’s boys.”

“Okay, that’s it. Dating sounds rough in DC.”

“It’s rough anywhere. There’s just so much shit to waid through.”

“You want me to block them for you?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Price did that for a while as Soap continued to drive through the traffic. You could get out of Ghost’s lap, but you decided against it. You looked up at him as his gruff voice graced your ears. “Feel free to fall asleep, love. We are driving to a safe house where we will stay for a night while DC recovers from the attack. We will bring you to Langley tomorrow to chat with Laswell. Try to relax, alright?” You gave him a nod as you curled into him more, his arms engulfing you and pulling you close as you closed your eyes while listening to his heartbeat.

—————  ҉  —————

“Soap, go get us some food. Gaz, you’ll be on guard for the night. Ghost, you’re with me.” You blinked awake as Ghost carried you inside. You presumed it was the safe house, but you didn’t have much time to get a look. “Master bedroom is upstairs. Set her up there. Make sure to rewrap and elevate her ankle. I’ll be up in a sec.”

He grunted an acknowledgment as he started to climb the stairs, two at a time. Ghost gently let you down on the bed, allowing you to drag yourself to where the pillows were. He started to unload all of his gear. All of the various vests and other tactical gear started to shed off of him, revealing a leaner man. Even without all of his gear, Ghost was still huge, easily a foot or more above your full height. You gazed at his body as he turned towards you.

“Like what you see, love?”

First shock and then embarrassment came, you tried your best to turn away and busy yourself with elevating your ankle with some of the pillows. He always seemed to catch you admiring his figure. Or perhaps you were just too mesmerized to hide it. Either way, you had to get better at it.

“Aw, come on, love. Don’t get shy on me. I like it when you look at me. Here, lay back and let me take care of ya. Feel free to watch, okay?”

You still couldn’t look at him, not sure if you trusted yourself to keep it together. But, why not allow him to baby you? So you did, you let him turn the TV on low volume to some sitcom, fluff the pillows, lay you down, and prop up your feet. He was focused on the task, allowing you to freely watch him work. He took your shoes off and iced your ankle on and off for five minute rounds as he cleaned your knee again. Once he was satisfied, he wrapped it in medical tape to help with the swelling and gently placed it back on top of the tower of pillows.

As Ghost was finishing up, Price came in with Soap to deliver some food to you. “Could only find fast food, so I guessed what you’d like.”

He handed your food to Ghost. He placed the paper bag on your lap like a place mat and unwrapped your burger. He placed the burger and fries on the bag and squeezed a ketchup packet on the bag near the fries. He put the plastic straw into your soft drink and made sure it was within reaching distance for you. Lastly, he placed a pile of napkins on the bed next to you.

“You gonna feed her too, LT?” Soap was teasing with a smirk on his face as he took in Ghost doing absolutely everything he could for you. You looked away feeling embarrassed. Of course, Ghost noticed your shift in mood. Soap’s smirk dropped as Ghost turned to face Soap. Oh boy, Soap was in trouble.

“You’re on watch with Gaz the whole night. Get to it, soldier.”

As Soap scrambled to leave the room, Ghost turned and dare you say he looked pissed? Despite that, he dipped one of the fries in the ketchup and brought it to your mouth, waiting for you to open. You obliged, opened your mouth, and accepted the fry. He watched you chew. You liked this and you had a feeling that Ghost liked it too. But, you weren’t too sure what this was exactly? Did this count as daddy dom little girl (ddlg) or perhaps just Ghost being a dom? You decided to not dwell on it too much, not wanting to sour it with realization.

“Ghost, why don’t you eat with me?” You pat the bed next to you. He grunted, but followed your suggestion. You did your best to not look at his pushed up mask while he ate. Of course this fucker had such full lips. It really wasn’t fair.

Price was chatting with Laswell over coms while you two ate in silence, watching the stupid sitcom on the TV. Price was quickly downing his burger, and in just a few bites, he was done. You could tell he was in work mode now. His energy had shifted to being rushed.

“We will drop you off at Langley tomorrow morning and then we are headed out on a mission right away. Ghost, I’ll brief you tomorrow while in transit. For now, just stay with her. I’ll take the living room on the first floor since I have to prep for tomorrow’s mission. Try to get some shut eye.” He rubbed your ankle and winked at you while walking out and closing the door.

“Alright, love, I’m going to take a quick shower. Feel free to nap, yeah?”

You nodded as you yawned, the meal making you sleepy. Ghost turned off the TV and killed the lights as he began to undress. You closed your eyes to Ghost stripping down to his compression shorts. Again, this man knew exactly what he was doing to you. You smiled to yourself as you drifted off to his perfect ass disappearing into the bathroom.

—————  ҉  —————

You found yourself back in an interrogation room with double mirrored windows. The zip ties were making your wrists bleed. White hot pain zapped through you as you continued to struggle to break free. Panic was licking its way up to the point of it brimming over. You could hardly think, trying your best to get out of your bindings.

Blood started to seep from the ceiling, down the windows, and started to pool around you. It was thick and sticky as it rose to your waist and then to your shoulders and then to your neck. You were going to drown, drown in your own blood. Somehow you knew it was from you. You felt faint and woozy, the panic still inside you but dampened. You were starting to sink into the blood as the room became distorted and warped. The doorway was now above you, towering over you. It opened and Ghost stepped to the edge. You felt light with hope, almost happiness, as you called out to him. He would save you. He would rescue you. But that notion soon faded as you gazed into his emotionless eyes. That was not Ghost. No, that one was a mindless monster.

He struck a match against the wall, the fire jumping to attention in front of his face. His mask faded into an actual skull as he flicked the match into the pit of blood that you were currently drowning in. The blood was starting to pour into your mouth as it continued to rise, closing in on your eyes. It gurgled in your throat as you coughed it up, trying to breathe. To your horror, the blood caught fire, and the flames danced around you as the skull of Ghost gazed down at you. You were drowning and burning alive as he watched. You screamed as the black voids of the skull over took you.

You thrashed so hard that you woke yourself up to Ghost trying his best to calm you down. Your eyes were wide as you took in his dark form towering above you. He smoothed your sweat laden hair out of your face, his bare face just inches from yours. You could just make out the outline of his face in the dark. Thank goodness you didn’t wake up to his mask. He pressed his forehead to yours, trying to help you calm down. He was still wet from the shower. He must of rushed out when he heard you.

“Breathe, love. Just breathe. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”

You jumped as you heard the coms crackle to life with Price’s frantic voice at the other end. Ghost went to get up, but you desperately pulled at his arm, feebly trying to pull him back towards you. “You know I gotta answer the Captain, love. I’ll be right back, promise.” Ghost gave your forehead a peck as he got up and answered him. “ Just a nightmare. She’s alright.” He quietly talked to Price in a hushed tone while you started to tremble.

“G-ghost, please.” You pleaded out, wanting his touch again.

He quickly signed off and came back to you, getting on the bed to be closer to you. Without hesitation, he gingerly pulled you on to his chest. You barely covered him because of his sheer size. “Tell me what happened.” He cupped your jaw and massaged where your neck meets the back of your head as you laid on top of him, trying your best not to tremble. “What has you so shaken, love?”

“You. I dreamt about you.”

He hummed in response, seemingly unphased as usual. He moved his hand from the back of your neck to your scalp and began massaging there. Your mouth hung open from the immense pressure release. This man knew exactly what he was doing.

“Are you scared of me, love?” He used his other hand to move your good leg to wrap around his waist. His hand traced lightly back up your leg to rest on your ass cheek. He squeezed firmly when you took too long to respond.

“Yes sir.” You barely whispered as he continued to massage your scalp. He moved his hand from your ass to your waist, kneading your love handles as you relaxed further into him.

“Why?” It took you a second to collect your thoughts as you had been zoning out from all of his physical attention. He waited, seeming to know that you were struggling.

“You’re always so harsh with me. I just want you to be gentle. Just once.”

He took a while to respond and just continued to massage you. He was mulling over his next move. “Alright, I’ll be gentle, just this once. Do you trust me to take care of you tonight?”

“Yes.”

He squeezed your ass cheek again. “Yes sir .”

He hummed in appreciation as he slid you off his chest face down toward the mattress. You let him rearrange you so that you were comfortable.

“Lift your hips, love.” You did as you were told and he slid your pants and panties off together, making sure to mind your wounds. He allowed you to settle back down as he arranged your good leg to be bent and splayed out for him.

“Ghost, I-I…”

“Shh shh, sweetheart. I got you. If you ever want me to stop, just let me know. No talking otherwise.”

You felt him settle between your legs as the bed dipped from his immense weight. As he moved down your body, you could feel his hot breath going lower and lower and lower till he stopped right at your core. You felt his hand push your good leg closer to your midsection, effectively spreading you out for him, but he wanted more. He moved your hands to your cheeks, placing them on each.

“Spread,” he demanded. You instantly complied and were rewarded with his tongue dancing over your slit. A surprised moan escaped from you.

“Such a good girl.” His voice was muffled since he was burying his face into your cunt. “Such a perfect pussy, all hot and ready for me.” He toyed with your clit, building up your pleasure. More and more beautiful moans came from you which seemed to encourage him even more. He whispered the dirtiest, most filthiest things into your pussy as it started to drip with wetness.

“This is exactly what I wanted.” As you began to drip, he slowly pushed his thick tongue into your pussy and hummed. You clenched him and he pushed your leg even closer to your body so he could go deeper.

“Ride my tongue.” You were so flustered by everything, it took you a moment to respond. A resounding slap echoed off the walls as Ghost used his open palm to slap against your thigh.

“Now.” You started to throw back your hips to ride his tongue. The angle was awkward, so you angled your hips and arched your back.

“Oh, there you go, baby. That’s it. Oh, look at you. Doing so well.” Ghost purred with admiration as you followed his orders perfectly. Your heart and pussy fluttered, clenching around him even harder.

“Mmm, sweetheart likes praise, yeah? Do I not praise you enough, babygirl?”

You swear more juices gushed out of you as you squeezed around him. Him using that pet name definitely did things to you. He sucked your pussy in response, making sure not to waste any of your nectar.

“Do you want my fingers, love? Something to squeeze around?”

You whined in response, your eagerness causing you to back your hips up towards him even more. He chuckled in response, giving your ass cheek a peck and a gentle love bite.

“Here we go, love, nice and slow.” He eased in a finger, causing you to gasp. You forgot how thick his fingers were. You tried your best to settle your rapid breathing as he began to pump you. “That’s it, sweetheart. You’re taking me so well.” He began to gently suck your clit as he used his other hand to help you spread your cheeks even more. He started to curl his finger into your g spot.

“Don’t be afraid to ride my fingers, love,” he whispered into your cunt as he pushed in a second finger. You used your knees as leverage to angled your hips back and started to push back.

“Fuck yes, baby. Just like that. Use me.”

His praises and encouragements ensued as he continued to build you up and add more fingers. The girth was amazing as his thick fingers rubbed into your g spot and your clit was caressed by his full lips and soft tongue.

“Be a good girl, and cum, baby. I know you can do it.”

You whined as you continued to ride his face and fingers. He pushed harder into your g spot, not letting up on the quick pace. You were close, so close. His mouth licked around your opening, collecting your juices that were being pushed out from his fingers.

“Be a good girl for your Lieutenant, and cum. Now.”

Him pulling rank pushed you over, and you moaned out as you came on his face. You gripped his fingers tightly as your pussy fluttered. He rained down even more praises as he pulled his fingers out, lazily slurping up your wetness. As you came down with deep breaths that he guided you through, he rearranged himself so that he was hovering over you, with his hips in line with yours.

“Now that I’ve treated you gently, can I be rough with you now?”

“Yes, please.” You whispered out as he pushed the head of his thick cock into your tight pussy.

Author’s Note: If you enjoyed this series so far, please consider checking out my three oneshots with Ghost & Price: A quiet fisting, Free use assistant, Let me use you As always, feel free to interact with me (in any way you'd like). I enjoy hearing from everyone, so please don’t be shy 😊 Thanks!! 💕

Chapter Text

Artwork prompt: You flew back again as the next grenade was propelled into the house and exploded. You hit the wall hard and fell to the ground. Created by AI on wombo.art

Fic song rec: Chocolate Piano by Orang-Utah (been playing this on repeat for months. Voice of Led Zeppelin with bass that reminds me of Mr. Big by Free. Also the album cover is giving old live action poorly dubbed Japanese Godzilla TV series that I grew up watching.)

Laswell’s voice crackled over the coms just as Ghost started to push inside you. “Safe house has been compromised. Retreat to the river.” 

At first, you thought it was a joke that Ghost somehow had pulled on you. You cracked a smile until you felt him pull out of you.

“Fucking hell. Get dressed, we gotta move.”

He kept the lights off as he quickly put all of his layers back on. You scrambled to your hands and knees and quickly found your clothes.

“Ghost, get the fuck down here now.” Price sounded stern over the coms, but with a smidge of franticness. You guessed that this had never happened before with a safe house, hence the name safe house wouldn’t apply. 

“Hurry up, we have to move now.”

Ghost was already halfway out of the bedroom. You pulled your pants and shirt on and limped after him. He took the stairs a couple at a time, almost leaving you behind. Price was waiting for you and Ghost while talking to the rest of the team.

“Gaz, Soap, meet us out back. Laswell, do we have a time estimate?”

“There right on top of you. Langley’s coms have been scrambled ever since the White House attack. Get out of there now.”

“Fuck, okay let’s go-“

All of a sudden you were on the ground surrounded by fragments of wood. Pieces of the furniture rained down on you. Your head spun as you tried to steady yourself. All you could hear was ringing and everything was happening in slow motion. Your vision was blurred, but you could feel a firm hand on your bicep pulling you away.

“Another RPG inbound!” Soap tried his best to warn you.

You flew back again as the next grenade was propelled into the house and exploded. You hit the wall hard and fell to the ground. Dazed, you tried your best to get up, but you could hardly make yourself move. You coughed as you desperately tried to take in your surroundings. Your vision was muddled and you were slow to process, but you did your best to try to react. The entire front of the house was missing from the multiple impacts. All of the furniture was destroyed and you finally found Ghost and Price also recovering from the second RPG. You could see red dripping from Price’s hairline as he picked himself up. Ghost spit out blood and he got up and crouched behind the wall that divided the kitchen from the living room.

You could tell he was looking for you, that both of them were looking for you, but you couldn’t muster the energy to shout to them, to even whisper to them. You just watched until their eyes that were desperately scanning the room fell on your limp body. You could see Price’s expression change and you could tell that Ghost had stiffened. Right as they both started running toward you, the bullets began to fly.

The hum of machine gun fire filled the air. Ghost and Price were forced to take cover back behind the wall. You still felt groggy, but you tried to drag yourself behind the remains of the tattered couch.

“Soap, Gaz, return fucking fire right now.”

You pulled yourself successfully behind the couch, but still somehow managed to get a bullet in your thigh. You could feel that. Fuck, yep you could feel that. Fuck yeah, you were back now. Everything came back quickly, reality rushing and overwhelming all of your senses. Bullets were flying around, bright and fast, buzzing and zipping, smoking and hot. The pain seared through you as the bullet embedded itself deep, burning flesh along the way. You screamed out, gripping your thigh in vain. Blood immediately started to gush out.

“Fuck. Fuck. MACTAVISH WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?”

You tried your best to steady your breathing as you put as much pressure on the wound as possible. You winced in pain and tears started to run down your cheeks. 

“We are coming around the sides now. Almost there.”

“Hurry the fuck up, NOW! She’s been hit. Inner upper thigh near the femoral artery. We have to move NOW.”

“Yes sir. Returning fire now.”

You laid your head back as you pushed your hand harder against your thigh. It was soaked and slippery with blood. You tried your best to keep your eyes open by counting the pieces of rubble that surrounded you.

“Give them fuckin’ hell.”

Price rushed forward as Ghost also returned fire. Ghost launched an RPG of his own. They both moved as a unit toward you. Price pulled you into his arms and dragged you to the kitchen. 

“Let’s fucking GO, LT!” Soap yelled as Ghost shot another RPG towards the enemy.

Price yelled to Soap and Gaz, “Meet us out back once you’re done.”

You screamed in pain as he lifted and dragged you. You watched as Ghost fired back at the enemy while you left a trail of blood in your wake. Your breathing was out of control, your pulse rapidly climbing. Price dragged you through the kitchen and threw the back door open.

“Gaz, take her legs, we are going to run to the river with her.”

All gun fire had stopped, at least for now. Gaz tried his best to gingerly pick up your legs. You whimpered out as you felt white hot pain zap through your thigh. Hot tears burned your eyes as they started to run with you. They were silent, just heavy breathing and thudding footsteps against the ground. It was so dark as they moved. The woods behind the safe house engulfed you, only letting you see the silhouette of the trees as you looked up to the starry night above.

“Laswell, we are almost to the river.”

“Good, get ready to swim. A marine recon unit is waiting for you.”

You heard a bullet whiz by you and then, in an instant, a furry of them rained down from behind you. The team kept moving despite the heavy fire. You heard splashing as Price started to run into the water. You felt the warm water engulf your back as the team started to swim. It muffled your hearing as your head temporarily dipped underneath the surface. Gaz and Price swam with you between them. Once your team hit the water, returning fire was zipping overhead from the recon unit. You watched as the black water lapped at your legs. The water brought some relief, but you were slipping. You could feel that you were about to leave this world.

“Fuck, keep your head DOWN.” Ghost yelled at you as the fire grew heavy.

You were pulled up onto the inflated boat. You yelled out from the rough movement. Ghost immediately covered your wound with his hand and pressed down. You whimpered out, gasping from the pain.

“I know, I know. I’m sorry, but I have to do this to keep you alive.”

You felt the boat surge forward as it sped up the Potomac River toward Langley. Your head hung to the side, not having any strength to keep it righted.

“Hey, hey, look at me. Come on, sweetheart. Look at me.”

Price’s hand held your head with his hand while moving the hair out of your face with the other. He smoothed your hair down while your half-lidded eyes took in his. He had an expression that you had never seen before. Was that fear?

Price temporarily left your view as Gaz started to apply his med kit to your leg. Price stayed next to you with your head in his lap. You smiled up at him as you overheard Soap’s and Ghost’s conversation.

“LT, why ya have a hard on right now?”

“Shut up, you fucking idiot.”

You guessed he was still hard from your time together and perhaps the adrenaline had kept it up.

“Wha? You have a hard on, come on look at it.”

“Stop shining your fucking light on it.”

You giggled as your eyes slipped closed. All you could hear was Price yelling your name trying to keep you awake as you passed out.

—————  ҉  —————

“Fuck, Laswell, what was that? That was a strategic attack on a safe house. A safe house on U.S. SOIL! Not even 30 miles from Langley. I have NEVER seen or heard of that ever happening!” Price’s heavy footsteps echoed against the tile.

“There was a data breach right when the White House was hit. It was brief, but they knew what they were after. All safe houses within a 100 mile radius were raided in a similar fashion. Coms were scrambled right when we pinned what information was leaked.”

“Are you telling me the White House attack was used to push agents in DC into safe houses so that they could be targeted?”

“Sure does look that way, especially since the White House was not occupied. The question is, was it specifically to find her.”

“Why would they target her? There’s no way anyone knows about her, right?” Ghost sounded skeptical.

“We can’t rule anything out, not yet. Keep an eye on her, yeah? I have to go into another meeting.”

“Yeah, we got her.”

The door shut as Laswell left. You wanted to open your eyes and tell them that you were fine, but you just couldn’t muster the strength. You just laid there eavesdropping.

“Fuck, Price, we almost lost her. That was too close.”

“Yeah, yeah I know. But, she’s a fighter, that’s for sure.”

“Yeah, she sure is.”

“Timing was really impeccable too.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, I was about to finally sink into that tight cunt of hers. Made sure she was good and ready for me too. I look forward to the day that it can finally happen.”

“I look forward to the day that I can do the same. Glad to hear that you are treating her well. You’ve been tough on her, you know?”

“Yeah…well I’m starting to care about her…and that scares me.”

“Me too, mate. Me too.”

That made you smile. Two of the most rough and tough military men out there now care about some washed up techy. Looks like you really out did yourself. You smiled to yourself as you let exhaustion overtake you.

Author’s note: My boo suggested that the enemy ambush them at the safe house. I was legit not going to do it, but apparently it never happens in the game, so I wanted to try it. Lol, I didn’t even tell him that we were in the middle of smutty time, but I think it worked quite well, yeah? It’s fun being a bit of a tease sometimes 😏 Also, it seems that I like to dangle the reader really close to the edge of death too.

If you enjoyed this, please consider checking out my oneshots with Ghost & Price: A quiet fisting, Free use assistant, Coconut oil: a versatile substance (soft part 2 to Free use assistant), Let me use you. As always, feel free to interact with me (in any way you’d like). I enjoy hearing from everyone, so please don’t be shy 😊 Thanks!! 💕

Chapter Text

Artwork prompt: You didn’t ask questions anymore, you just got on the massive military transport plane and took a long nap while it whisked you away to wherever they needed you next. Created by AI on wombo.art

Fic song rec: Daughter of Zion by Glenn Schwartz, Joe Walsh, & Dan Auerbach

“Can someone turn up the AC? I’m melting in here.” Laswell used the back of her hand to wipe sweat from her forehead. Where ever they had flown you to, it was fucking humid. You didn’t ask questions anymore, you just got on the massive military transport plane and took a long nap while it whisked you away to wherever they needed you next.

“Sorry ma’am, it’s already on high.”

“Alright, well start the brief without it then.”

Whatever this was, it was big. The room was packed with soldiers, support crew, generals, and everything in between. Price had somehow gotten a seat right next to you. Ghost wasn’t so lucky. He had whispered a subtle, “Hello sweetheart”, as he passed you to the other end of the table. Soap and Gaz flanked him.

Heat rose to your cheeks as you remembered the night at the safe house, well the part before you almost bled out, and you thought of their words professing how they cared about you. Were they true?

You half listened to the brief. Something about drugs and guns. That’s all you got. You tried to will yourself to focus, but you really didn’t have it in you. Laswell seemed to notice and nudged you whispering, “Everything okay?”

You gave her a smile that didn’t meet your eyes and a thumbs up. That seemed to fool her for now. Just as you let your smile fall, you caught Ghost staring at you. You held his gaze and all that fucker did was tilt his head, as if he was egging you on. You only broke away when Price nudged you and gave you a judgmental look telling you to stop messing with Ghost.

You huffed and turned your attention back towards the dull briefing. Why the fuck was your team being so clingy?

You tried to brush it off, but you could tell they were still watching you. It must’ve been because of the safe house incident. It took you a while to physically recover and Laswell got you an official therapist to talk with, but you still had your guard up. The therapist probably had to report everything to her so you purposely stayed distant.

This was your first mission back, first one in three months. You hated to admit it, but you had missed working with Laswell and the boys. You would have preferred coming back on a smaller mission, one with less eyes, but beggars can’t be choosers. From the little you gathered from the briefing, you were just there for potential support, if needed. Hopefully you’d just be able to chill while others did all the work. It was good to be back, but you still weren’t thrilled by the work.

When the brief had finally finished, Laswell guided you and the boys to one of the corners of the room. “Alright, Gaz, Soap, and Ghost will be out there working with the Shadow Company. Everyone else will stay here.”

You gave a little salute to Ghost as he left and he flipped you the bird. He seemed to be in a good mood today.

The mission lasted forever. It was going on the 25th hour and you had tried to take a nap, but your back was killing you. You really wanted to curl up in Price’s lap, but there was an audience. A huge audience of other techies and higher ups all working to keep the op going smoothly. You swear that Price has been looking at his laptop the entire time. He had definitely been chugging coffee the entire time too.

You watched him lazily as he downed the remains of his latest cup. You could tell that he had just shaved to touch up his beard. His neck was completely clean of any hair. His Adam's apple bobbed and you nearly whimpered. You had missed him so much. To say the least, you were touch starved. After the safe house, you had really kept to yourself, not going out on any more dates, not that they ever really provided much desired physical contact.

Slowly tracing up his muscular neck, his lips were set in a slight smile now. You could watch them read you a phonebook and you’d still be hypnotized. His hand rubbed at his beard, the subtle scrape of his beard on his fingertips filled your ears.

You blinked your eyes a few times as you stifled a yawn. Fuck, you were losing it. You needed to somehow stay awake. But first you needed to finish admiring Price. His crows feet around his eyes were your favorite part. And his kind eyes, they always stood out to you, especially when you were surrounded by death on the battlefield.

His baby blue eyes stared right into yours. At first, you held his gaze, just admiring him, until you realized that he was, in fact, watching you watch him. You gulped, got up briskly from the chair you were leaning back in, and mumbled that you had to use the restroom.

Just as you were closing the restroom door, a large hand shot out preventing the door from closing completely. You groaned in embarrassment and annoyance as Price’s smirking face came into view. You pushed harder, quickly wiping the smirk from his face as he was caught off guard with your strength.

“Come on, let me in. Just want to have a chat, that’s all.”

You ran your hand down your face as you allowed him to push the door open. He quickly came in and shut the door, locking it before turning to you. The restroom was a single small narrow room. You both were practically chest to chest as you stood facing each other. He towered over you, but you refused to look up at him, instead opting to look straight on at his fatigue green uniform that clung to his sweat ladened body.

“Look at me, love.” He tried in vain to lift your chin, playfully seeking out your eyes that he so loved. You resisted still, swatting at his hand.

“What are you doing in here? Trying to get me fired?” You whispered to him, still looking anywhere but his face.

“Nah, love, they’d never fire you. Too valuable.”

“And, I suppose, you’re too valuable to fire too, hm?”

You had accepted your fate and allowed him to lift your chin so that he could gaze into your eyes.

“Yeah, something like that,” he mumbled as he leaned down and captured your lips with his.

“I love it when you look at me like that. Makes me go wild.” He said between kisses , but you tried to squirm away from him out of embarrassment. You leaned your head back, trying desperately to get a breath in. He took that as his opportunity to bend down more and lick up your neck.

“I-I didn’t mean to ogle. The heat and lack of sleep are getting to me.” You felt breathless as he kissed and licked on your neck, hands roaming and squeezing. You eyed his crotch, a tent rapidly forming.

“That’s alright, sweetheart. I don’t mind.” He took a breath and traced his hands from your back to your face, framing it. “You can look freely now, if you’d like.”

His kind eyes took you in and you just melted. His crows feet crinkled as he smiled at you. Eyelashes so lush, fluttering against his cheek. His baby blues reminding you of clear summer skies. His lovely lips were curved in an unbothered smile.

“You’re beautiful, Price.”

“Ah, love, thanks, but that adjective can only be used for you.”

“Alright, then you’re a proper dilf.”

That made him chuckle. He considered you with a mischievous look of narrowed eyes and furrowed brow. He slid his hands down to your hips as he whispered, “Now that’s more like it. Turn around, sweetie.”

He didn’t miss a beat and turned you around when you took too long. You were faced with your reflection in the mirror. Your lips were swollen and your neck flushed red from his rushed kisses. You looked dazed and your hair was so frizzy from the ineffable humidity. Sweat was building at your hairline, but you could barely focus on how hot you felt since Price was at your neck once again. His large form bent, head buried at the crook of your neck. You leaned back into him, enjoying his attention. You watched in the mirror, his hands gripping your tits, the motion causing your bra straps to slip from your shoulders. Your breasts bulged as he pressed them against you in your buttoned up dress.

He continued his worship, humming as he kissed your neck while using his deft fingers to slide your bra off. His stubble rubbed and irritated you, making you giggle and flinch away from him.

“Mmm sorry about the beard, love. I’ll soon let you be once I’m inside you.” He grinded his hard on against your ass as he unbuttoned the top of your dress. He was slow and lazy, allowing himself to indulge in your neck and occasionally your lips, forcing you to twist and crane your lips back for him. He left you breathless every time.

Finally, when your bra was off, he played with your breasts. Peaking your hard nipples while kissing you and stealing glances at you through the mirror.

“Absolutely perfect, sweetness. You know that, right? You are absolutely perfect.” He whispered into your ear as you whimpered at his praise, not used to it, but more than willing to accept it.

At some point, he had unzipped his fly and lowered his pants and briefs to release his hard cock. You could feel it against you. He took a moment to breathe.

“If you want me to stop, just tell me.”

“P-please don’t. Please Price.”

“Call me John. Remember?”

You mumbled an apology as he leaned you against the sink counter while bunching up your dress around your hips.

“No need to apologize, love. Just be a good girl for me and arch that back.” You did as you were told, which elected a “Good girl” from John. He silently rubbed the tip along your slit, coating his cock with your slick.

“J-john, please. Please cover my mouth with your hand. I won’t be able to be quiet.”

“Like this, sweetheart? Oh yeah, you like that don’t you? I can feel how your pussy just clenched around nothing. You like it when I take over, when I’m in control?”

You nodded your head fervently.

“I know, sweetness. I know. Let me take over from here. Just let go and let me in.”

He watched you closely in the mirror with hooded eyes as he pushed his thick cock into your tight cunt. 

“Keep your eyes fucking open, sweetheart. Look at me. Yes, that’s it.”

You could feel his breath at your ear as he slowly started to thrust into you. You tried your best to keep quiet, but it was difficult, so difficult with John groaning and moaning while groping up your body as he keenly watched you in the mirror.

You could hear every small noise and breath he made, making this feel so intimate. Quick bathroom fuck aside, this felt like love making. You watched him sweep your hair to the side, letting him have full access to your neck. His tongue was deft and exact while his lips flushed your delicate skin in a way that can only be described as sloppy.

He wrapped one of his arms around your waist, effectively protecting you from being rammed into the bathroom counter. His thick arm easily wrapped around you fully, encasing you in him. His other hand stayed firm covering your mouth.

He picked up the pace, his hips pistoning into yours over and over. His moans turned to grunts. Your whimpers turned to moans, the air within you being punched out with each thrust. His cock incessantly  rubbed your g spot, making your eyes roll back.

“Fucking look at me.” 

That was the Captain Price speaking. He was using his commanding voice at you, the one he used over comms when yelling at the boys. It made your pussy clench.

“Fuck, I love it when you do that. Such a slut for my cock, hm?” He breathed against your neck as he bent you further over the counter, your hands shooting out to support you.

“Please, John.”

How was he supposed to know what you were talking about? What you wanted? You wanted him to bend you to his liking. To dominate you till the end. To do what he liked with you. You wanted him to take control and you just be there for the ride. Your muffled plea should’ve gone unnoticed, but it didn’t.

No, John knew. He knew deep down that you craved for him to use you like a fuck toy to no end. He could see it in the way you looked at him. You wanted a break from thinking and John was more than willing to take you there.

“I know, baby. I know.”

He continued the fast pace as he rearranged you to his liking. He lowered your torso to drape over the counter, but with your head still facing the mirror, his hand tight over your moaning mouth. He pulled one of your legs up, spreading you out, with it bent at your side propped on the counter.

He had his hand at your hip making sure to keep your ass close and protect you as much as he could from the counter while his other hand pulled your head up so he could still see you while keeping you quiet. 

“Perfect, fucking perfect. Exactly how I’ve always wanted to fuck you.”

The bathroom was filled with the sound of him slapping against you, fucking you into the counter. His sweat dripped off of him due to the amount of force and speed behind his hips. He gritted his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut, and muttered a “Fuck” as you tightened around him again.

“Let me in, sweetie, let me all the way in.” He pulled your other leg up so that you were fully spread on the counter for him. “That’s it, sweetie. I promise I got you. Such a good slut, letting me fuck you quick in the bathroom.”

His hand on your hip now moved to your shoulder and used it as leverage to fully seat himself into you. You clenched around him, causing him to groan out as he picked up the pace again. His fingers dug into your shoulders as he hammered into your hips.

He scooted closer to you, using his hand to angle your hips up while he practically climbed on top of you. The new angle made you see stars, a high pitched moan emitting from behind his large hand.

He shushed you, whispering, “I’m going to give it to you. Be patient, love.”

Despite your best effort to wait for him, your eyes rolled back as he brought you to a sudden orgasm that stole your breath away. You collapsed forward as John moved his hand from your mouth to the counter top, propping himself up as he continued to thrust deep and fast into you, bringing himself to cum deep inside you.

All you could hear was deep breathing slowly decreasing in frequency as you both caught your breath. The bathroom was cramped and sticky, but you savored his cock still nestled deep inside you. He held you there against the counter as he gently moved your hair so he could lightly kiss at the back of your neck. You laid on the counter, it cooling your skin as his lips and hands caressed your tired body.

“Is that what you were begging for?”

“Yes, John. I’ve missed you so much.”

Author’s note:  As always, feel free to interact with me (in any way you’d like). I enjoy hearing from everyone, so please don’t be shy 😊 Thanks!! 💕

Chapter Text

“This op is an important one, but has a high amount of risk.”

That’s how Laswell had started the brief. No one gave it any thought, but now, every team member was feeling that risk. The mission had started out rough.

You covered your head as another explosion rained down debris over you. You could hear Price trying to call in air support, but you doubt it would go through. Laswell had warned that there would be no support.

“You okay?”, your radio crackled with Ghost’s deep voice.

Ghost was the closest one to you, but still too far away to feel safe. You had been separated from the group, had wandered a bit too far ahead when gun fire started.

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

You were a sitting duck and they all knew it. Untrained with no weapons, you were solely reliant on them. They had all been trying to get to you for over 20 minutes. Something had to give.

“They are moving toward you. Keep your head down. Don’t let them see you.”

You were tucked behind a concrete barrier and the rest of the team were pinned behind other barriers strewn about, blocking the road to the nuclear reactor that needed to be recaptured. It was heavily guarded, even from this distance. Intel had been limited, so this was unexpected.

The gun fire was near constant and the RPGs came when least expected. You were focusing on your breathing and trying to find an opening to retreat, but that wouldn’t come without a fight.

“Watch out!”

Gaz tried to warn you, but it was too late. Your airway was constricted as a thick arm tightly wrapped around your neck and pulled you into the air from behind the barrier. You thrashed, trying to break free, but the arm was unyielding. You sunk your nails into the arm, but you were just tugged closer to the body it belonged to, the other arm wrapping around your waist, allowing you to take in a deep breath. That clarifying deep breath brought you back to when you first met Ghost. You had head butted him in the same position.

Without hesitation, you let your head fall to your chest and launched it back into your opponent’s face. You were instantly dropped back behind the barrier, your knees hitting the ground hard.

Barely a second went by when a bullet was lodged into the man’s head. You had your opening finally. You dragged the dead body to you and pulled out a grenade and a pistol. You activated and threw the grenade behind you. You turned and landed a few shots as the enemy scattered from the grenade.

“We’ll cover you and you’ll run to us on three.”

You shot a guy in his neck.

“One.”

You watched as another’s brains were blown out.

“Two.”

You could hear another screaming in pain.

“Three.”

You ran, half bent over, back toward your team, diving behind one of their barriers. Soap dragged you further so that you were fully protected.

“Ya hurt?”

You shook your head.

“Air support is coming in. Everyone, braise yourselves.”

The hum of a helicopter's machine gun filled your ears and soon dust and dirt obscured your vision as rockets were colliding with where you just were. You huddled into Soap, trying to deafen the sound of the explosions. Well, that’s what you told yourself at least. Really, you were trying your best to not imagine the people that were suffering from the missiles.

As the dust settled, the team started to move forward. You decided to stay behind Soap for now on. You did your best to ignore the carnage that came from the air support. You gingerly avoided the limbs and other mangled parts littered around the enemy hideout.

—————  ҉  —————

You thought the rest of the mission went well. It did actually, but Ghost was having a fit in the debrief. You wondered if this man was ever happy, if anything was ever enough for him.

“I’m just saying, Laswell, she should not be allowed to hold a weapon and engage with the enemy. That is our job. She’s had no training with firearms and grenades.”

You kept your head down, but you could hear Gaz sigh. Ghost was right about that. You had gotten lucky.

“Good point. What would you like me to do then?” Laswell was keeping her cool trying her best to please the fuming Lieutenant, but you were boiling. Why the fuck was he chewing you out for protecting yourself?

“Some type of disciplinary action.”

You turned on him in an instant. “Are you fucking with me right now?!”

You stood in front of him and craned your head up to make eye contact with him. He instinctively puffed his chest out, challenging you to continue.

“I had to take my safety into my own hands because clearly you couldn’t!”

“I seem to remember that you were out front. When the fuck have you ever led the way?”

You were silent. He had a point.

“That’s what I thought. This is your fault. If you would’ve stayed behind me-“

“But, let’s just say that I got captured. Would you like me to give up and just let them have me, and wait for you to rescue me?”

He stiffened at the mention of your capture. “That’s never going to happen.”

“We should be prepared for anything, right? You can’t control every-“

“THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN.” He was in your face, leaning into you, at his highest volume. His booming voice easily filled your ears and reverberated through your chest.

You shrank back, cowering away. You stepped back, but he stepped forward.

“We have been at this for much longer than you. You have no idea what you’re doing. You are no soldier-“

Price grabbed your shoulder and pulled you toward him, trying to get you away from Ghost. “Alright, big guy, she’s fine. Okay? Just calm-“

“No, Price. You know I’m right. You know she doesn’t belong here.”

Those words and his deadly serious voice rocked you. You looked up in bewilderment from Price and then to Ghost. Price looked defeated, as if he regrettably agreed with Ghost. 

“Laswell, you know this isn’t working.”

What was Ghost doing? Why was he tearing this apart? You looked toward Laswell. She refused to make eye contact with you.

“Laswell, come on. This was an extraneous situation. You know that-“

“You won’t be working with 141 for some time. I might call you in for some support on other matters, but for now, take some time for yourself. Send me your debrief report when you can.”

You opened and closed your mouth, wanting to protest, but in the end you decided to accept defeat. Ghost had gotten his way. You avoided eye contact with everyone as you got up and gathered your belongings. Tears welled in your eyes as you walked to the door and your world began to crumble. You held your frustrated sob for when you were out of the room. You could hear Soap calling your name, but you kept on walking. Your head spun from all of the sudden emotions, but you had to keep moving forward; you just had to.

Your tears were streaming down your face now, blurring your vision, but you knew where you were going. You have been here so many times. In that room, in this maze of hallways, offices, and barracks. You couldn’t recall how many missions you had provided support for the 141. You were indispensable. Price knew it and so did Laswell. Ghost just didn’t want to admit it. He was too afraid of losing you.

But, you were done with Laswell and Price not being able to rein Ghost in from belittling you if you made even the most minor mistake during the mission. Why hasn’t Laswell and Price pulled rank? You must’ve not been worth the hassle in their eyes. Their loss really.

You pushed the doors open and walked to the car waiting for you. You squared your shoulders, took a deep breath in, and got into the car. You decided to go ahead and finish the debrief report tonight to try to distance yourself from this mission as soon as possible. You tried not to wonder too much about how long your probation from the 141 would last.

—————  ҉  —————

The knock at your door startled you. Glancing at the clock, you got up and retrieved your pepper spray and the small bat from the bedside drawer. Midnight on a Wednesday. Definitely weird. Ever since the incident with your ex, Laswell had given you a panic button, kind of like a Life Alert necklace, for you to use in case of an emergency. You put it in your pocket as you approached your front door.

The knock came again, making you jump. You flipped the front porch lights on as you quickly swung the door open. You held your pepper spray tight with the safety off, ready to spray, and your bat raised and ready to swing in the other hand, but you stopped.

“Price?”

A look of shock quickly faded from his face. A sad smile settled kindly on his features.

“Are you trying to scare the fuck out of me, love?”

“I could say the same to you. Why are you here? And why so late?”

You lowered the pepper spray and bat beckoning him to come into your apartment. He came in, looking around with a smile, taking it all in.

“Ah, this is a nice place you got here.”

He was trying to be friendly, as always. He was here to apologize, but you were going to force him to admit it. “Answer the question, Price.”

You stood at your kitchen table, staring daggers into him. You had forgotten how much taller he was than you. You felt small next to him, but you didn’t back down.

“That’s no way to talk to your Captain, sweetie.” He was being cheeky and cute, his smile light on his lips, but your anger was renewed and festering.

“Wrong, remember? I’m no soldier.” You turned and walked to your couch, slumping down into its comforting embrace. You missed how quickly Price’s sweet smile faded from him remembering that day that Ghost had spatted all those ugly words your way. The emotions that you had packed away for a month bubbled up, threatening to spill. The dull pain of despair, the sharp jab of regret, the fluttering of frustration, and the everlasting pull of longing. They swelled and swirled around in your chest, threatening to make their way up to your mind. You swallowed them down, pushing them further away, trying your best to remain in control. If you weren’t careful, you’d tear up again. The last thing you wanted was to give Price an opening to comfort you. You knew you’d crumb into him if you did. You had to stay numb.

You stared blankly down at the rug as you heard Price making his way over to you. His boots came into view. They were muddy. He must’ve just gotten back from a mission.

“Sorry about the mess I’m making. Would you like me to take them off?” He motioned to the boots tilting his head down. You knew he was trying to coax you to look at him.

“You can if you want.” You didn’t look at him.

He slid them off and placed them next to the rug. He waited for you.

“Price, why are you here? Did Laswell send you?”

“No.”

That made you turn to look at him in confusion. A brief smile flashed on his lips celebrating this tiny triumph.

“Does she know you’re here?”

“No.”

“What do you want?”

“I…um I wanted to see how you were doing.”

“At midnight on a Wednesday?” You narrowed your eyes at him. He sheepishly checked his watch and looked back up at you with a pleading look.

“Ah, I didn’t realize it was so late. Just got back from a mission. We’ve been on one since you left.”

“You mean since I was forced to leave?” You weren’t going to let him get out of this one so easily.

“Yeah…right. Sorry about that.” He broke eye contact, glancing at the ground. He knew it was fucked up, but he wasn’t sure how to admit it.

“That’s it? You’re sorry about it?” You stood up, too exasperated to sit any longer. “Am I supposed to just forgive you like that? Am I in the fucking wrong for still being upset?” You faced him now, standing over him, looking straight into his eyes. But, he refused to look into your raging eyes. Instead he stared at your cocked hips and how your hands held them in a challenging stance. He quite liked the view.

“What you did was dangerous,” he stated blankly. 

“Fuck you, Price. There was an opportunity and I took it.”

“For your own safety, you shouldn’t have.”

“Why am I being punished for fighting? I had to do something! I could’ve been captured!”

“Darling, we don’t have to go over this again. You shouldn’t have been out front.”

“Then you and your men should’ve had me on a fucking LEASH! Fuck, I can’t do anything right, can I? Despite everything else I do for every fucking mission, if I mess up some minor detail then the whole thing is fucked?”

“Your safety isn’t a minor detail.”

“Then why the fuck didn’t someone correct me in real time? Why the fuck is it always my fault after the fact?”

“You should know to be alert. You’re in a war zone after all.”

“I’m not a fucking SOLIDER, remember? Stop putting this on me. I’m a civilian helping you. You are in charge of my safety. Why am I being punished?”

“BECAUSE IT WENT TOO FAR.”

You recoiled and lowered the hand that was pointing at Price. Finally, you were getting somewhere.

“What?” you whispered.

Price sucked in a breath, trying to steady himself. He closed his eyes as he let out the breath. Rubbing his eyes, he mumbled, “We almost lost you, love.”

You waited for him to continue. He dragged his hand down his tired face.

“You’re right. Your safety is our responsibility and we failed you.”

“So…you sent me away…?”

“So that we could regroup and get our wits about us. We got too comfortable with you. We started to see you as one of us and that’s dangerous. You are much more valuable than one of us and it’s high time that we start to treat you like it.”

Price got up and slowly approached you. You allowed him to smooth your hair down with both of his hands, just like he did during your first mission with him.

“I’m sorry. None of this is your fault.”

You knew that he could see that tears were about to spill over, but you held out on him.

“But, Ghost-“

“Won’t be talking to you like that ever again, promise.”

You let out a shaky breath as Price pulled you in, his arms wrapping you in warmth. Your tears silently raced down your cheeks and onto his shirt. Your anger had faded and all that remained was a steady numbness. Price grounded you as he petted your hair and massaged the base of your neck. He shushed you as you let out a little sob.

“We’ve been too hard on you, sweetie. Once you had left and the dust had settled, we could all agree that we needed to appreciate you more and protect you better.”

You wrapped your arms around him and buried your face into his chest. He swayed you back and forth. “When can I start again?”

“Always so eager,” Price whispered into your hair as he planted a kiss on top of your head. “Since we just got back from a mission, we still need time to regroup, so it could be awhile. But, Laswell will probably call you in for support of other teams.”

You groaned in protest. You wanted to go back how it used to be. You missed the team immeasurably. “I know sweetie, but we have to get better for you, okay?” Price was right, it would be worth the wait. “But I’m here now.”

Indeed he was. You could feel his taunt chest against your cheek, his chest hair that you loved so much peering out the top of his shirt at you. His musk was strong and heady, a scent that you wished you could memorize. You decided to soak him in for now.

“Can you stay tonight?” You didn’t want to be alone.

Chuckling, Price hummed a yes. “Can I first use your shower? I’m a bit ripe at the moment. Didn’t get many showers with a month long mission.”

“I don’t mind your smell, but sure you can.” You rested your chin on his chest as you looked up at him.

Price licked his lips as he gently swiped away a falling tear. “I seemed to have forgotten how much of a dirty girl you are.”

You darted your gaze away from his lovely blue eyes in embarrassment, trying your best to avoid eye contact. You had forgotten how flustered he could make you. “I…well…I just-”

“No need to explain yourself, love. If you don’t mind, then I don’t mind either.” Price continued to look down into your watery eyes as you slowly backed him up to the edge of the couch. You pulled him into a gentle kiss as you slowly guided him to sit. You settled in his lap with his hands resting on your hips.

You ended the kiss early, catching him with his eyes closed and the softest expression on his face. You giggled as he opened his eyes with a knowing smirk. “You seem to be in a better mood. How about I take care of you tonight?”

He was so close to you. His lips glided against yours as he spoke. He held you close as you rubbed lightly at the base of his neck. “I’m quite capable of taking care of myself, wouldn’t you agree?”

He let out a little sigh before moving in for another kiss. “Yes, honey, you are. Will you ever forgive me?” He sounded desperate. You liked that.

“I’m working on it.” You gave him a cheeky smile as you continued to kiss him. You were deftly working your hands down his body, trying your best to keep him distracted. You sucked his tongue into your mouth as you undid his pants. Playfully, you nipped his tongue as you pulled away. He was out of breath, gazing at you as if he was afraid of losing you.

“What’s the plan for tonight?”

You could tell that he wanted to say more. Perhaps he wanted to apologize again or comfort you more as you wipe the remaining tears from your face. You liked him like this. Lost and fucking desperate. It was a stark reminder to him what it was like to be with you and what he would lose if he failed to keep you safe. But, this moment flitted by when he glanced down, realizing his pants were unbuttoned and unzipped.

“You distracted me.” He raked his eyes up your body as he turned his attention back to you, but to his surprise, you were already kneeling between his legs. You wanted to ruin him. You wanted to be the only thought that occupied his mind, taking up all the space, stretching out, basking in the warmth of his attention, making a home there. You wanted to drive him completely mad. You wanted to watch your demons dance with his in this fucked up world that you both continued to sacrifice so much for. You were greedy in your want, like a dragon drawn to gold, but all Price saw was your soft features that he lightly petted with his big hands.

You were going to ruin him, you knew it from how he drew in a soft, but sharp breath as you took out his growing cock. He needed a reminder that you were missing from him, that you are a requirement in his life, forever and always. “Let me take care of you tonight.”

“Are you sure? I could-”

You cut him off as you just allowed the tip of his cock into your wanting mouth. You lightly sucked, testing his sensitivity.

“Fuck, baby. Your mouth feels so-”

You slowly swallowed him, letting your mouth and throat relax. You took your time, enjoying how his legs quaked as your spit slicked his shaft. You felt him instinctively jump as you cupped his balls. A devastating breath left his lips as you finally finished swallowing him to his base.

“You’re going to be the death of me.”

You slowly released him with a pop as he gulped in deep breaths of air, flashing the most innocent eyes you could conjure up at him. “I don’t know what you’re on about.”

“You know exactly what you’re doing. Fuck, baby-”

You started to bob your head up and down, full strong strokes so that you could take him to the back of your throat, trying your best not to gag. He loosely wrapped his thick fingers in your hair as he attempted to hang on to some semblance of control.

“You’re going to make me drunk on you. Fuck, honey, you’re going to make me want you during the worst times. I’ll be distracted by this memory for the rest of my life.”

Price looked angelic as he rested his head back, mouth hung open in pleasurable agony, burly chest heavy, forearms clenching as his fingers slowly started to fist your hair.

Not wanting to take your mouth from him, but wanting to get a word in, you moved your mouth to his balls, lightly licking them while pumping his cock from base to tip at a leisurely pace. His face contorted in newfound pleasure.

Before you could talk, he muttered, “Fuck, you are perfect. I could never ask for anything more. I could never beg for anything better.”

“You look so pretty like this, Price.”

“Call me, John. Please.”

You hummed, “Anything you want, John,” as you took his cock back in your mouth.

The moan he let out egged you on, causing you to quicken your pace as you lightly cupped his balls. You watched him with teary eyes as you took him over and over again, as far as you could. It was truly beautiful to watch him. He was completely relaxed, but yet stiff with pleasure. You could tell the stress of the mission was gone for now, but a new tension had filled its place. 

He caught you watching. And you loved it. As your eyes locked with his, you drove his cock deep into your throat. His expression was of a broken man on the verge of pure pleasure.

“Fuck me…Those eyes- Fuck, those eyes of yours will get you into so much trouble, baby.” He let his head fall back as you continued at a steady pace. But, you weren’t sated. You wanted him right at the edge. You took a moment to let yourself breathe.

Spitting on his cock, you continued to pump him. “John?”

“Hm? Yes, love?” You giggled. He was slurring his words as he lifted his head with great effort to look at you.

“Can you throat fuck me and cum on my face?” You wanted him, completely, in the most unholy of ways. You wanted to watch him take his pleasure from you.

“Fucking hell, love. What have I done to deserve this from you? Are you sure about this?” He looked delirious, as if he was wondering if this was a dream.

“ Please .” You pouted up at him as you continued to work his cock in your hand.

“Fuck, baby. Are you begging?” 

You frantically nodded. He leaned forward and ran a hand down the side of your cheek, caressing your face. His expression was still full of doubt, but you gave his hand a quick peck, trying to show that you meant it.

“Is it okay if I’m rough with you?” He continued to watch as you nodded yes in response.

“Okay, love. Please, just promise me that you will let me know if it is too much, yeah? Slap my thigh three times and I promise I will stop, okay?”

“Yes sir.”

“ Fuck …you’re fucking perfect. Okay, love, Come here. That’s it. Let me guide my cock in. We will start slow, yeah? And build up the pace. I’m going to hold your head, if that’s okay?”

You gave him a thumbs up as he held his cock, guiding your mouth down on to it. You lightly braced yourself on his thighs.

“And how are you going to let me know if it’s too much?”

You instantly tapped his thigh three times with your palm.

“Good girl. Okay, okay…fuck I gotta try to time this just right. And not nut down your throat. A tall order, but anything my girl wants, she’ll get.”

He gently pushed your head up and down, letting you control the pace for now. You focused on breathing through your nose.

“That’s it, honey. Let me guide you. You’re doing great. Making me feel… fuck …making me feel amazing .” He struggled with his words as you slightly encouraged him to quicken the pace. He soon fell into line with the new pace. His guidance was a bit sharper now.

“Fuck, baby, you want me to use you, don’t you? Use that tight throat of yours?”

A gurgled moan came from you as his cock hit the back of your throat.

“Is-is it… fuck …it is okay if I thrust up into your throat?” He sounded so desperate, like it was a plea instead of a question. You gave him a thumbs up.

“Okay, I’m really going to give it to you, okay? Remember, please let me know if it’s too much.” You gave him another thumbs up.

His hips thrust upward with such surprising force that it knocked the wind out of you for a moment. His fingers gripped your hair like a vice as he pulled you down on to his cock. The moan that erupted from him was worth the tears that were falling from your eyes. He hammered into your throat, muttering praises as he went.

“You’re being…fuck me…you’re being such a good girl for your captain, baby.”

You started to gag from how fast he was going, but you resisted the urge to tap out.

“Yes, yes that’s it, take all of me. Oh, I know, I know it’s so much, but…please… take it all.”

Price was leaning fully into the couch so that just his upper back was pushing into the couch. His hips were elevated and thrusting into your face. You hung on as best you could, your nails digging into his thighs.

“Fuck, I’m already close, baby. You’re so good at this.”

You don’t remember how long he kept this pace up, but you just hung on for dear life and focused on his pleasure. The sounds he made were beautiful, ones of full blind pleasure with nothing to lose.

“Fuck, okay baby. Pull off. Pull off now.”

You did as you were told and pulled off. It took you a moment to catch your breath, but Price had your head pulled back by your hair with his cock hovering over your face. Once you were able to focus, you saw him furiously pumping his cock, inches from your face.

“This is what you wanted, isn’t it? On your knees before me. You want me to paint your face, baby?”

You frantically nodded, waiting for him to climax. Tears ran down your face as you stared up at him.

“Beg for it. Beg for your Captain to cum on your face. Do it. ”

You paused, trying to collect your thoughts, clumsily, desperate to form a sentence, but you took too long.

“Fuck, baby, please. Beg, now !”

“Please, Daddy!”

Your plea was instantly followed by cum coating your face. You closed your eyes as you felt more of it lightly hit your cheeks and lids, slowly dripping down.

“Christ, I…look what you made me do to you.” Price sounded broken and exasperated, as he used his shirt to quickly wipe your face and chest off. He pulled you into his arms, rubbing your back, comforting you.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m good,” you croaked as he held you in his arms. He rocked you back and forth, wanting to do more, but just trying to soak in the afterglow for now.

“Here, let me get you some water.” He laid you down on the couch and busied himself in your kitchen. You could hear him struggling.

“Cabinet above the microwave.”

“Ah, yes, thanks.”

He returned with the water in tow. He helped you sit up and brought the glass to your lips, guiding you to drink.

“You did amazing, sweetie. I uh I didn’t know you had it in you.”

“Anything for you, Captain.” You gave him a silly little salute and a sly grin as he brought the water back to your lips. You felt his warm gaze wash over you as you gulped down the rest of the water. As you finished the water, you watched him watch you. He was wearing quite a serious expression.

“Do my tits not pass inspection with flying colors, Captain?”

That made him crack a smile. “No, quite the opposite, love.”

He leaned in, squeezing them while kissing you on the nose. “Just thinking about how much I care about you,” he mumbled.

“Oh really? How much do you care about me?” You grinned as he moved down to your lips, kissing you fully.

“I would kill for you.” You pulled away, looking at him in shock, but he stared deep into your eyes, unphased. “I promise you, I will. ”

“It’s kind of part of the job, I guess.” You were trying to be reasonable.

“Let me put it like this, sweetheart. I would do war crimes for you.

“Alright, I get it.” You laughed hesitantly.

“Sorry, I-I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I’m not the best at expressing myself.”

“No, no it’s okay.” You smiled up at him, rubbing his arm and lightly kissing his fingers that were holding your face. “I understand.”

Price wondered if you did though. Did you really understand how much you meant to him? He thought not, but he didn’t know how to describe it to you. How he felt content and protected with you. He would do anything you wanted. He wanted to spend more time with you, but he knew that this moment was coming to an end, one that he desperately wanted to prevent.

“I just…You are-”

The Kim Possible theme song chirped from the deep confines of your purse.

“Oh, that’s Laswell. I uh changed the ringtone to something more fun.” Padding over to your purse, you fetched the phone and flipped it open quickly.

“Hi, Laswell? Yeah, I can hear you…Okay, yeah I can do that. Yeah, I’m available. Okay, see you in a bit then.” Even before you got off the phone, you had already headed to your bedroom to start to pack your bags.

“What’d she say? No way we are already going on another mission.” Price followed you around as you frantically packed up your stuff.

“No you’re not, but the CIA contracted KorTac last minute and it seems they need some intel quickly. You know anyone from there?”

“Yeah, I do. They’re okay. Will you be going out into the field with them?”

“Ah ah Captain afraid I can’t say.” You gave him a wink as you whispered, “It’s top secret.”

“Alright, well, just be careful. Watch your back.”

“Don’t worry, Captain, I can take care of myself, remember?”

“Yeah, of course. How long will you be out?” He rubbed your hand as you finally gave him your full attention. He already looked at you as if he was lonely.

 “Couple weeks, but no set timeline. We can talk once I’m back? Maybe also with the rest of 141?”

“Yeah, yeah that would be good. I’ll whip them into shape while you’re gone. And once you’re back, I can repay you for what you did to me tonight.”

“Only if you’re up for it.” You have him a wink, one that made him blush. “Okay, I got to go. There’s a car waiting for me outside. Lock the door behind you, okay?” You leaned up on your tippy toes and gave Price a kiss on the cheek as you rushed out the door.

He watched you get into the car from the window. He had a bad feeling about this unexpected last minute mission. Endless dangerous scenarios whirled around Price’s head as he locked your door and headed back to headquarters.

He knew that you weren’t specifically just 141’s tech support, but he couldn’t help feeling possessive. Ghost even shared the same sentiment as he asked for an update about you. Ghost huffed when he heard that you were being shipped off to support KorTac last minute.

“Heads will roll if anything happens to her. Watch us have to come in and clean up KorTac’s mess.”

“Don’t jinx it, LT,” Soap sighed as he reloaded his pistol and shot a few more rounds at the target in front of him.

“I’m just saying that we have had too many close calls with her. And I know we are better than KorTac, so it just makes me wonder how careful they will be. When she’s called in, it means it’s going to be an unusual mission. It complicates things.”

Price glared at Ghost. Ghost corrected himself quickly. “ She doesn’t complicate things. It’s just that the nature of the mission is usually different, that’s all I mean.”

“Better, that was better.” Price was trying to get Ghost to change his tone about you. Thankfully, he was already improving.

Price tried to not think about the previous missions that had been repeatedly highlighted in his leadership training courses. The ones that frequently failed, were completely compromised, and where there were too many casualties to count. They all started with poor last minute planning. This would be your first time with a new unit, a private contractor at that. He prayed that you’d be able to hold your own and that they’d be able to get their shit together, for your sake.

Chapter Text

The concrete floor was cold against your face as you tried to make out the blurry figures on the screen in front of you. It was so bright that you could barely open your eyes to watch. There was no sound, but you could tell that there should be. Their mouths were moving…

Price’s mouth was moving. That was Price talking to Laswell.

You slowly crawled to the back of the room so that you could see the screen fully. Your head was pounding with a migraine, your stomach felt like it was eating itself, and your mouth was so dry. When was the last time you ate or drank something? You could barely form a thought because your body was fighting to function.

Finally you reached the back wall. You laid there and slowly turned your head toward the screen. It took up the entire opposite wall, from floor to ceiling. It illuminated the entire room causing you to squint, almost making it impossible to watch. But, you forced yourself to. It might finally lead to understanding why you were being held captive.

You watched a video of Laswell talking to 141 or at least Captain Price. You assumed the others were behind him, but were obscured because of the camera angle. You wished you could read lips since there was no audio. What was she saying?

In the corner, you noticed a timestamp. It matched the day that the 141 forcibly brought you into Langley. You shut your eyes and covered them with your hands. You squeezed your hands tight into fists pushing them slightly against your shut eyes, willing yourself to think.

The way that the 141 brought you in was a mistake, right?

You jumped as the screen went black. Light streamed into the dark room from the doorway, as if the door was opening, but you could tell it was just animated on the screen. On the huge screen, an outline of a person walked into the room, dragging a digital chair in its wake. Crawling to the back corner of the room as quickly as you could, the virtual person waited for you to get settled as it sat on its chair.

“You must be wondering why you are here.”

You guessed that that was supposed to be the person on the screen speaking, but it was a modulation of different voices that came from around the room. The conglomerate of voices bounced around the room, easily overwhelming your already frazzled senses.

“You are here to learn the truth about your precious 141.”

—————  ҉  —————

“What do you mean she has been MISSING for a month?!” Captain Price’s shout reverberated around the conference room, directed at Laswell and Shepherd. Laswell visibly shifted, but Shepherd stayed steady, as always.

‘KorTac’s mess,’ Ghost thought to himself. He could see Price visibly shaking. Ghost felt a dull pain in his chest. She had gotten to him too, despite everything.

“Laswell will brief you on the situation. I have to leave for another meeting.” As Shepherd signed off, Laswell took a deep breath. Price tried his best to steady himself as Shepherd’s face disappeared from the conference room screen.

“We believe her and König were taken captive by an unknown terrorist organization.” The 141 let that hang in the air. Johnny rubbed his face hard with his hand as Price was processing the new information.

“König, the big German bloke in KorTac?”, Ghost rumbled.

“Austrian, but yes.”

“Why weren’t we told earlier?” Ghost could tell Price was trying his best to be more professional, trying but failing. Almost made him chuckle.

“You would’ve been distracted an-”

“DISTRACTED? Why because the CIA can’t protect its own?” 

Laswell tried to speak up, but Price kept pushing.

“Let me guess, we are assigned to an extraction mission to rescue one of our own and to save a private contractor who can’t do his job?”

As Price glared, Laswell took a deep breath and sifted through all the files strewn out on the conference table.

“Yes…let’s go over the information we have so far.”

—————  ҉  —————

The video of the briefing was back on the screen, casting light about the room as Laswell went through a slideshow about you. The sound was on now too. Her voice rang out clearly, “Bring her in as if she were a terrorist. We want her to be scared.”

The cogs in your mind slowly started to turn, processing her words. You had already watched the video of this briefing at least a hundred times by now. Dehydration and starvation were taking its toll, but it was finally coming together. There had been no mistakes. The pebble of betrayal dropped into the well of your mind and slowly started to sink, though you tried to fight it with weak excuses.

You spotted the digital figure at the corner of the screen. The pixels of the video faltered and quaked around the figure as it walked to the center. The sound of the video slowly faded.

“Why are you showing this to me?”

Your voice cracked and waived as you forced the words from your mouth. Your vision was spinning as you tried your best to focus on the figure.

The screen went black again and a new video began. It was Laswell again, but this time General Shepherd was giving her orders.

“Give her boyfriend a variant of the Cradle. That should drive her to rely more on the boys.”

As the short video repeated, questions started to whirl around in your mind. The Cradle? What was that? Glancing at the timestamp on the video, that was the day before Ghost subdued your ex. What was this? What was going on?

The pebble of betrayal started to sink faster, racing toward your heart.

—————  ҉  —————

“What happened to the rest of KorTac?” Gaz pressed Laswell as the team was getting ready to leave Langley. She hadn’t given them much information during the briefing, but it was enough to execute the rescue.

“We aren’t sure…”

“A whole unit just disappeared? CIA is really more helpless than I thought.” Ghost muttered as he triple checked his ammo supplies.

“Things got hairy once KorTac and her landed. It all fell apart quickly.”

“Not surprised. From the little that you told us, there wasn’t much of a plan.” Price stated harshly, thinking back to your apartment and the rushed call you received from Laswell. He wished he would’ve told you not to go with any other unit besides the 141. That’ll be for a later chat with Laswell where he laid the ground rules about you. Him and his team had put in the work to properly integrate you into their unit. It was about time that Laswell got on board.

”We will get her back.” Gaz softly said to Price after noticing his clenched jaw.

”Yeah, yeah we will.”

—————  ҉  —————

“Who am I speaking with exactly?”

The pixeled form shifted as if it were thinking. Where a face should’ve been different features formed and changed into various faces. Its voice was made up of many people.

“We are not one person, but many. Think of us as concerned citizens within the CIA.”

Your voice shook as you tried your best to form a sentence. “You’ve shown me all of this, b-but it doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t string together into a full story.”

“Yes, we didn’t have the time or resources to piece everything together, but we have given you enough to start looking for the rest.”

“And why should I look for the rest? Why should I trust you? Those videos…they could have been made by AI.”

The modulated voice chuckled, throwing its head back in exasperated dissatisfaction. “Really? You of all people? We know that you’ve noticed the watermark on the video. The one you designed yourself to ensure the authenticity of it. Surely, your starvation and dehydration could not rob you of that memory?”

“Come on, you know that this is indisputable evidence. You just don’t want to admit it.”

They, or whatever it was, were right. That had been one of your many tasks at the beginning of your time with the CIA.

“I-I don’t even know what to do with all of this information…where to even start.”

“You know that the 141 and Laswell underestimate you. Ghost has planted that seed of doubt in them. Play the part. Act like you know nothing. Be a damsel in distress. All the while, let König be with you. They will want him under observation, just like you. Might as well use him for something. Let König protect you. You know he will. He’s liked you from the start. You know once you get back the 141 will smother you. Let König shield you from that.”

“They’re not going to like that…They won’t let me out of their sight.”

“Correct, so you will have to dig for the other pieces…carefully, slowly even, but you cannot be caught. They will be difficult to find, so you must be patient.”

“How did you-where was this information from?”

“The data breach during the White House attack.”

“That was you?!”

“No, but we took advantage of it.”

”What do you think Laswell and Shepherd are up to?”

”Not sure, but they have been wanting you to work for them for a while. They have been slowly planning all of this. During the White House data breach…we found evidence of Laswell moving files around while attempting to cover her tracks. Looks like we weren’t the only ones who took advantage of the chaos. Start there and see where it leads.”

Your mind was racing. The figure started to glitch, like the feed was about to be severed.

“The Russians are about to come in. They did not expect to capture you on your failed mission, so it has taken them quite a while to dig up who you actually are. As for your soldier friend in the other room, that’s what they usually deal with, so they have been torturing him, but he’ll survive. They haven’t gotten much out of him yet, so they will keep him alive. We are not sure what information they have on you, so be cautious. My connection with you will end soon. It took us a while to find you since they hid you so well. We notified Laswell of your location. You should be rescued soon. We may have time for one more question.”

The figure glitched and spasmed as it waited for your last question only getting worse as the seconds ticked by.

The fear of accepting all of this as your new reality was finally catching up. Only one question remained. “Why trust me?”

“Why not? Laswell and Shepherd have trusted you with a lot of information…almost too much. You have all the security clearances and ability to piece this together. You are the only one who can discover what they are up to. Trust no-”

The figure cut out, the screen went dark. Silent and pitch black, the room sat quiet as your mind tried its best to process everything that had just transpired. You could hear muffled sounds in the distance, slowly coming closer.

Did the others know or suspect anything? Probably not. They are just soldiers who follow orders. You were going to have to walk a fine line of being cooperative while watching your back. Who knows how much of what you know about Price, Ghost, Gaz, and Soap are true.

All the things that Price and Ghost have said to you, whether they meant for you to hear it or not, mean nothing now. The friendships you developed with Gaz and Soap are now gone.

But, you still have to keep them somewhat close. Friendly, but vigilant. You had to come up with a story about what happened here and stick to it. König would be there for emotional support, but even then you shouldn’t tell him anything. You were alone on this. No team to share in the trauma. No others to bounce ideas off of. No partners to lean on. A lonely road lay ahead. That pebble of betrayal that had slowly started to sink and could be easily lifted back to the surface of trust, well now it was a boulder, falling into the deep crevices of doubt and fear, a maze of mistrust and anger. There was no light of comradery streaming in and illuminating the water. Only the darkness of circumspection persisted.

Suddenly, the door was kicked in and the harsh fluorescent lights were turned on, flooding the room with sterile lighting. Men covered from head to toe with black tactical gear entered the room, speaking in short clipped Russian. One dragged a metal chair in, the second had zip ties, and the third stalked towards you.

As you were harshly hauled up from the corner on the floor and zipped tied to the chair, the screen came to life with König in another room. His head lay limp on his shoulders. He slightly slouched over as the rest of his body took up and overwhelmed the chair he was strapped to. From glancing at his wrists, you guessed he broke through the zip ties, leading to his curtain state of a rope tied taunt around his chest, which could barely move for his shallow breathing.

His mask was off. His nose was a bloody mess. You could spy a badly swollen eye that was almost shut. His forearm looked to be shattered. He spat blood and perhaps a tooth out of his cut lips. They had been right. König had endured quite a bit of torture.

The zip ties cutting into your wrists brought you back to reality. You didn’t resist at all since little strength was left in you. You just kept on repeating everything that the digital figure had told you. You couldn’t forget it.

“You will answers our questions now.” Your eyes still were on König, his virtual presence the only thing keeping you from having a panic attack.

Your head whipped to the side as one of the soldiers backhanded you across the face. You grunted and glanced at König as you picked your head up. He was fully looking at you now, shifting against his restraints, slowly becoming more emboldened.

“Nein, nicht sie,” ( No, not her ) you heard him mutter.

You finally turned your eyes to them. ”Why were you on the mission with him?”